


Undercover

by Classybetts



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Choking, Co-workers, Detectives, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gang Violence, Gangs, Gun Violence, Hawaii, New York City, Self-Harm, Sex Trafficking, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Undercover, Undercover Missions, Violence, bughead - Freeform, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:06:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27124249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Classybetts/pseuds/Classybetts
Summary: Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones have always been best friends. They also happen to be each other's partners working as detectives for the NYPD. Even throughout high school, Betty has always been oblivious to Jughead's feelings. But when their whole unit is sent away for a special case that might take time to unpack, tensions rise.For months the NYPD has suspected a sex trafficking problem happening in the city. They haven't been able to get any leads or full proof. When rumors rise that the same operation has moved to Oahu, Hawaii, the FBI contacts the NYPD.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 38
Kudos: 80





	1. The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry guys, I can never give you just a simple trope. I love the action. I hope you guys enjoy, and this is your trigger warning. This story will contain graphic details of sex trafficking and sexual assault in general. If any of this triggers you in any way, I suggest not reading it. Much love.

11 pm on a Sunday in the city that never sleeps. Betty has work in the morning but she's not even thinking about that. Now, she's sitting with her arms crossed over her chest in the passenger's seat of Archie Andrew's car. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel, and he's wearing that ridiculous suit. Of course, as soon as they got in the car he loosened the tie and threw it in the backseat in a way that reminded Betty of a toddler. 

"Are you going to talk to me?" he demanded after minutes of silence. She ignored him. She was wearing a rose-gold colored dress that had no straps and stopped mid-thigh. Her hair was pinned to the side, and she felt just as ridiculous. 

"You embarrassed me in front of my _mother_ ," she snapped, her jaws closing in a bite as she looked at him before looking back out her window. When he pulled up to the apartment building, Betty put her hand up. "Pull over here." 

"I can't let you go home like this," Archie said as he pulled over. She opened the door before the car came to a full stop, grabbing her purse. "Betty!" Slamming the door on his shouting, she stalked up the stairs, her heels clicking against the concrete. 

When she went up the elevator to the top floor, she didn't go to her apartment at the end of the hall. Instead, she went to the one across the hall and took out the spare key she had to it. Unlocking the door, she walked in and slammed the door shut behind her. Kicking off her heels and throwing her purse wherever-in the pitched dark, she stalked to where she knew the bedroom would be. 

The lights from the floor-to-ceiling window lit up the room enough so she could see his dark hair spilled onto his pillow, laying on his stomach with his face turned to the side. Betty jumped on the bed, and he immediately flinched, bolting upright just as she burrowed herself under the covers. Jughead Jones squinted his red eyes and registered what had just happened for a couple of minutes. Betty said nothing as she shut her eyes. 

"What the fuck?" he snapped. "You-where-what?" 

"I didn't want to go home," she muttered with her eyes closed. "He fucking ruined _everything_. Dinner was a disaster. My mom is _pissed,_ " she said hopelessly. Jughead relaxed and lay down, crossing his hands beneath his head. 

"That bad?" he asked. She nodded slowly. 

"I'm almost twenty-four and she still treats me like a child. Archie didn't make any of it better. She disapproves of him and thinks he's a tool. I mean, she's not completely wrong but that's not her choice to make." Betty shrugged and opened her eyes to look up at him. He looked deep in thought. 

"He is a tool," Jughead said flatly. She rolled her eyes. 

"Shut up," she muttered. "The sex is good." Jughead blinked once. Twice. His face contorted into a disgusted cringe. "But not good enough to stay with him. I'm breaking up with him tomorrow. And before you ask, it is _not_ because of Alice. Our relationship was doomed from the start." 

Jughead let out a sigh and turned to his side so he was looking at her. His eyes were still full of sleep, dark crescent moons under them. His dark curls were a mess atop his head, and Betty couldn't help but smile. He had been wearing a plain white shirt, with boxers. Though they both remained unfazed. It wasn't the first time she had crawled into his bed in the middle of the night. In the most platonic way possible. To Jughead's disappointment. Though, she could _never_ know that. 

"You deserve better anyway," he whispered. She rolled her eyes at that. 

"Yeah, well. Are you ready for tomorrow? I heard Peabody has a big case for us. Bigger than the Mcallister case," she said. A wicked grin spread across Jughead's face at that. For a split second, as if registering exactly what she was wearing at that moment, his eyes dipped down and then immediately went back up to her eyes. As if he forced himself. She didn't notice. 

"Get some sleep, Cooper," he said, turning away from her and closing his eyes. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head. Minutes later, he heard the soft breathing coming from behind him when she fell asleep. But he didn't sleep. He never did when she was in his bed. 

Betty had left Jughead's apartment when the sun began to rise. She had to get ready for work before they headed off. She wore the same thing she wore every day. A navy blue pantsuit and white blouse. It was one of the many things Penny had taught her three years before when she first started at the NYPD and had worn a t-shirt and ripped jeans to the station. How reckless she had been. Reckless and careless. In some ways, she still was. At least Penny taught her how to pretend. 

Jughead had always been perfect. With his stupid suits and professionalism. He was definitely the more put-together one in their duo. It evened everything out. But he was her best friend. Ever since her sophomore year of high school when she punched Chuck Clayton in the face for smashing Jughead's laptop. Honestly, all he wanted was for her to just leave him alone those first few months. She grew on him. She did not doubt that she wouldn't. 

Now, she walked down the front steps of the apartment complex and was met with Jughead sitting on his motorcycle, leaning against one of the helmets and waiting for her. Of course, he didn't wear one of those stupid suits that he wore often. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a black t-shirt. They usually took Betty's car, but when they didn't, he wore his leather jacket. 

He smiled as he handed her one of the helmets and she snatched it from him, climbing on the back of the bike. "Still pissed at Andrews?" 

"Shut up," she muttered, earning a chuckle in return. She rolled her eyes before wrapping her arms around his middle and waiting for him to turn the engine on and drive away. 

When they got to the station, Betty began tying her hair back as they walked up the stairs and through the door. Veronica, the secretary, immediately stood up when she saw them and walked around the desk. Jughead looked at her with a bemused look. Veronica pushed her thick glasses up her nose and handed Betty a file. 

"Penny wants to-" She flinched. "Uh-Mrs-Peabody-" 

"Lodge?" Betty asked. 

"Peabody wants to see the both of you," the raven-haired woman finally spat out. She frowned at herself, but Jughead was smiling. Betty nodded. 

"Figures," she muttered, before walking through another set of double doors. Jughead winked at Veronica as they walked by. But He had crashed right into Betty, not realizing she had stopped walking. She was frowning across the room. "Damn," she cursed. 

"What?" Jughead asked, irritably. 

"He's here early. Hide me," she ducked behind him and began pushing on his back. Jughead scoffed incredulously. 

"Betty, you're being ridiculous-" But as he looked across the room he saw Archie in his uniform, talking to his partner, Reggie Mantle. He tipped his head back and laughed, and suddenly Jughead had a sweet fantasy of walking over and slamming his face into the desk. He smiled slowly, but it quickly disappeared when Betty shoved his back again. 

"What are you doing? _Walk._ " 

"Just get it over with-"

"I dumped him this morning on the phone," she hissed into his ear. " _Do not_ let him see me." 

"You did _what_?" Jughead asked, looking at her wide-eyed. She grinned at him, mere inches away from his turned face, still standing behind him. 

"Detective Cooper, Jones!" a booming voice called from the front. Every eye turned to them. Including Archie's and Reggie's. Jughead grimaced. "My office. _Now!"_ Without another word, she turned and walked into her office. 

"Satisfied?" Jughead asked. Betty let out a groan and walked around him, heading towards Penny's office. Jughead followed her, exasperated. 

Once they were both seated in front of her desk, the door tightly shut behind them, Betty got an uneasy sinking feeling in her chest. Though, her face never wavered. From the outside, she looked confident. Daring. But she knew. This case would be different. Perhaps the biggest case in her whole career. And Jugheads. Though she had to admit, he had done some pretty great things and had more intricate cases than her. They had only been partners for a year. His mind worked in different ways. Sometimes... it intimidated her. But perhaps this time would be different. Maybe _she_ would be the mastermind this time. 

"I have a case for you two. Drop whatever case you're currently working on, I'll pass it on to Mason and Fogerty," Penny Peabody said. She was the chief here. The boss. Betty was convinced Jughead might one day take her place. Though, he would never give up being a detective. 

"But we were just about to close it," Jughead protested, furrowing his eyebrows. Penny waved a hand. 

"It's already done. I need you two on this one. Actually... I need your whole unit on it." 

Betty frowned and looked to Jughead. He didn't look at her, he kept his eyes trained on Penny. Always so professional in her presence. "Our whole unit?" Betty asked. Penny nodded and opened her mouth, but then the door opened behind them. 

Betty twisted in her seat to see a tall man with black hair and a round face walk in, wearing a black suit. Next to him, was a woman in the same black suit, with bright red hair in a tight bun and red-painted lips. 

"This is Agent Blossom and Agent Connor," Penny said with a nod. 

Betty gasped and looked between Jughead and Penny. Jughead raised an eyebrow and Penny gave her a cold look. "It's the Men in Black. Or-" Betty gave a pointed glance to the redhead. "Women in Black. Is that what they're calling you now?" Agent Blossom gave Betty a cool, no-nonsense stare that Betty did not enjoy. 

"Detective Cooper, that's enough," Peabody commanded. Betty looked to Jughead with a grin, but he was not smiling. He gave her a stern look in return. "They are from the FBI. They have news on the sex trafficking situation that you two were working on here a few months ago." 

"Has the case reopened?" Jughead asked, his tone serious. Betty fought not to roll her eyes. 

"Yes," Penny said. "Just not here." She nodded to Agent Connor, who Betty had been eyeing up and down. "I'll let you take it from here." 

He didn't miss a beat. "There have been reports of young girls disappearing all over the island of Oahu. Mostly college girls who decided to visit for Spring Break. But Spring Break is over and those same girls haven't returned to campus, or have been reported missing. We believe this is at the fault of the same people who have been operating in the city," he explained. 

"With what evidence? Hawaii is almost five thousand miles away. I'm having trouble believing this is the same organization. Sex trafficking happens everywhere. Unfortunately. Talk to the Oahu Police Department," Betty said. Red gave her a cool stare. 

"Because we found a body," the woman answered this time, pursing her red lips together. "And the cadaver had the same branding on her inner thigh as the bodies found here. In New York City." Betty looked to Jughead. His brows were furrowed and he looked deep in thought. 

"So... what does this mean?" Betty asked, looking to Peabody. "The case is reopening? Are we going to start here in the city while _they_ go to Oahu?" 

"I'm sending _you_ to Oahu. The both of you," Penny said. Jughead's head shot up at that. 

"What?" he ground out. 

"And Officers Andrews and Mantle will accompany you. You will go with Agents Connor and Blossom. I'm not sure exactly how long this little expenditure will be but... however long necessary."

"Do we... do we at least have any suspects?" Jughead asked, looking up at the two agents. They looked at each other for a second, revealing nothing on their faces, before looking back to Jughead. 

"Not at this time, no," the redhead said. Betty blew out a breath through her mouth. Jughead showed no reaction. He was so good at being unreadable when they worked. It was the most irritating thing in the world to Betty. 

"When do you suspect we will depart?" Jughead asked pertly. 

"Two weeks," Penny said without hesitation. 

"You expect us to go to Hawaii in two weeks on short notice and-I have no idea why I'm complaining please continue," Betty said, looking down. Jughead gave her a tired, irritable look. 

"Yes, Betty. I expect you to go to Oahu and investigate a sex trafficking operation. Not drink margaritas on the beach," Penny said coldly, glaring at her. Her cheeks heated. She could practically hear Jughead's scolding words in her head. 

_There's a time and place._

"Yes, ma'am. That... wasn't what I was implying. I apologize," Betty said before ducking her head down. Jughead didn't even look in her direction. He just cleared his throat.

Betty liked to think of herself as smart. No, she was a genius. Not like Jughead. In a different way. She wasn't always the way she was. In high school, she tried to be the perfect girl next door. Despite punching Chuck Clayton in the face. No, she got A's on everything, did as her mother said, never showed more than a few inches of skin. She only began fitting into her new skin when she was out of the house and over eighteen. When she was free of her mother. Jughead changed too. He got tougher. 

"Veronica gave Betty the folder. It contains all the details on the case you two were working on a few months ago and also the cases in Oahu. Study up. Get ready. I'm not giving you any more cases. I want this to be fresh in your minds. I'll email you both more details when I am free to give them. And... don't worry about expenses. Agent Connor and Blossom will take care of it," Penny nodded to them. Betty forced herself not to snort. Not the time. 

"Is there anything else?" Betty asked cautiously. Penny's eyes landed on her green ones, and they stared at each other for a moment. Betty did not recoil or back down. She held her boss's gaze. 

"No," she finally said. "You're free to go. I'll call you both." And with that, the two detectives rose and left her office. Everyone stared as they left the building. Betty let the mask she fixed into place fall when she and Jughead were walking down the front steps. 

"Can you believe this?" she exclaimed. He said nothing. "We're going to Hawaii. The only downfall is that Archie is coming. Staying the hell away from him. Why does he get to come anyway, he's a stupid co-" 

Jughead stopped and turned around and Betty almost collided into his chest. "Stop." 

"Stop what?" 

"I need you to be serious," he said, raising a brow. 

"I'm completely serious," Betty said. And she meant it. "This is a big deal for me. The sex trafficking case has meant something to me ever since Penny handed me that very first folder," Betty said as she brushed past Jughead. "You know this." 

"I just want you to take this seriously. If we're going this far out into the field... it's bad. I mean, from New York to Hawaii?" Jughead followed her over to the motorcycle parked by the curb. "Even the drug lords we've dealt with haven't traveled that far." He swung a leg over and handed Betty her helmet before she did the same. 

"You dealt with," she said. 

"What?" 

"You said drug lords we've dealt with. That's all you. Penny never gave me a case like that," Betty said, shoving the helmet on. Jughead paused, watching her before he put his helmet on. 

"Oh. Right." He then connected the strap and faced forward. Betty said nothing more. Jughead just started the engine and drove off.

A few hours later, Betty sat on the floor of Jughead's loft, papers, and folders all around her. Her laptop lay open before her, and her hair had fallen down her shoulders, out of the rubber band. She was looking through the folders Penny had provided her with, a hand placed on her forehead with her elbow resting on her knee. She was comparing the cases in Oahu to the ones in New York City. There were some similarities, like the branding, but also many differences. She wasn't even sure if the two cases could actually be operated by the same organization. What were the chances? 

Just then, Jughead walked into the apartment and tossed a pizza box on the floor near Betty. Some of her papers fluttered and she glared up at him. He only gave her an apologetic look. She said nothing and looked back down, blowing a breath out through her mouth, the hair in front of her face flying up, and then coming down. 

"Anything?" Jughead asked. Betty shrugged. 

"I don't know yet." 

"How about from Andrews?" he asked. She looked up at him, as he leaned against the far wall and gave her an expectant look. 

"Three calls. All ignored. I made what I said to him clear this morning. I'm pretty sure my mother thinks I'm the biggest idiot in the world because of _him._ That was the last straw. Anyway, I'm not talking about Archie right now. You of all people aren't supposed to be asking such questions at times like these," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her, a black strand of hair falling over one eye. She rolled her eyes. "Come over here I need your eyes." He walked over, kneeling down beside her. 

She held up two pictures for him to see. "Look in this one. This is a case from Oahu." It was a picture of a girl laid sprawled on a beach, her head angled at an inhuman angle. Her face was beyond recognizable. She was completely naked, bruises, and cuts marring her entire body. Betty could see Jughead grimace in the corner of her eye, clenching his jaw shut. But his eyes drifted to where she wanted him to look. The inside of her thigh. Where the brand lay. A lion in a cage. 

"This brand is burned into her skin," Betty said. Jughead nodded, the only indication he was listening. "This one," she said, holding up the other photo. "Is a girl from New York City. She's a little older, twenty-five." This woman was in the same condition. Naked and beaten. Her face was at least more recognizable though. But... There was blood between her thighs. So much blood that it was almost black. Betty's voice cracked slightly. "The brand here... It's carved into her skin. Not burned. It's the same brand nonetheless." 

She looked to Jughead. He was unfazed by the image. He looked as if he was looking at a jigsaw puzzle, trying to figure out where the last piece was. A chill went down Betty's spine. He was better at this part of the job. At handling the... images. He nodded finally. 

"Yeah." 

"Yeah? I'm gonna need more than that." 

"It's different. You're right. It could be an entirely different organization trying to throw us off. But it's unlikely." 

"What makes you say that?" Betty asked, dropping the photos. 

"Because with this kind of case... there's always a brand. Somewhere. Or a signature. Something to let others know that this is... their product. And there were no other symbols or specific marks on the bodies. It would say so in the coroner's report if that were the case," Jughead explained, taking the photos from her. Betty rubbed the bridge of her nose, before running her fingers along her scalp. "If you want to sit this one out..." 

Her head snapped up. "Why would you even _suggest_ that?" He shrugged. 

"It's just..." He shook his head. "Nothing." He pulled her laptop to him and began to read whatever she had on there. 

"You can't just ask something like that and then say it's _nothing._ Do you want me to sit this one out?" she asked incredulously. He looked up at her with raised eyebrows and shook his head. 

"No. Of course not." 

"Then what?" 

"I just..." He swallowed audibly. "The last time you-" 

"Stop," she said abruptly. "This isn't like last time. I'm fine. Don't... just don't. This is my job. This is what we do. Last time was different. It's over with," she said. He looked unconvinced. "Got it?" she snapped. He just nodded, giving her a tired smile. He ran a hand through his dark curls. 

"Got it," he said quietly, before looking back at her laptop screen. His dark circles were more visible in the blue light. Betty let out a sigh. 

"Let's call it a night. We can continue tomorrow. I'm tired, and clearly, so are you." 

"I'm not-" he began, but stopped at the look Betty gave him. He smiled slightly. "Fine." He shut her laptop and handed it over before she gathered all the papers scattered around and put them in their respective folders. When everything was gathered, she gave him the folders and took her laptop, before they muttered their tired goodbyes and Betty retired to her own apartment across the hall. 

After placing her laptop on the counter and making sure the door was locked, she changed into more comfortable clothes and peered into her closet, mentally packing for when they would leave, though it was a full two weeks away. She let out a sigh and fell back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

She really had broken up with Archie that morning. If she was being honest, she wasn't even that broken up about the whole thing. In fact, she was happy to be gone with him. Lord knows Jughead didn't like him. Though, his opinions did not persuade her often, no matter how close they were. They had a lot of differences in opinion. She wasn't going to pretend like she didn't envy him at times. Envy how much trust Penny put into him and how much she praised him. 

At one point, Betty got the nerve to straight up ask him if he was fucking her, and had decided not to tell Betty. He had called her inane and denied it. She believed him, of course. She didn't actually think he was fucking her. There was no way. If Jughead was having any sex these days, Betty didn't know about it. He didn't talk about it, and she never caught any girls sneaking out of his apartment. Mostly because he always had his face stuck in a book or a case file. His work was everything, and sometimes Betty worried. She didn't like it when he killed himself trying to solve a case. Or forgot to take care of himself. She was his partner now. But he liked to work alone. And often forgot to include her in things. She knew it wasn't his fault. It was just the way he was wired. 

Jughead grew up being raised to be cold and used to being alone. That's why when Betty followed him _everywhere_ until he gave up on trying to be rid of her and just grew warm to her company, he had been used to being the loner of the school. Even after all these years, he still liked to be alone. Old habits never die. 

Tomorrow. She would deal with everything tomorrow. She would continue doing research tomorrow. Albeit, she had no doubt Jughead was hunched over those files at that second, even after she left. Memorizing every word. She smiled at the thought and fell asleep with the image. 


	2. Oahu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this story will pick up guys, I had a bit of writer's block while writing this chapter and honestly I struggled a little. It's always hard getting things started but anyway, the next one will be a lot better.

Two days until they would have to go four thousand miles away from New York City. Betty was sitting on the couch in her loft, her gut-churning. A suitcase lay open on the coffee table, as her older sister tossed things in. Betty stared at the thing, horror creeping into her gut. 

“Toothpaste? Where’s your toothpaste?” Polly asked. Betty let out a groan and rolled her head back. 

“I can pack myself,” she muttered, burying her face in a pillow. “I’m almost twenty-four.” 

Of course, when Betty told Polly she was going on a business trip far away, and then Polly showed up at her door a few days later to give her help she didn't ask for, Betty was not surprised. That was just howler sister was. Betty wasn't unorganized, but Polly was always overly organized. Everything had to be perfect. Betty had always been convinced Polly had an undiagnosed form of OCD. Even through high school. 

“Are you going to tell me _why_ you’re leaving?” Polly prodded. 

Betty glared at her before answering. “For a case. And I already told you I can’t talk about it.”

“Whatever. Just, don’t _die_ ,” Polly said with the wave of her hand. Betty snorted. Melodramatic, as always. She never approved of Betty's profession. Of course, neither had Mommy Dearest, Alice. 

Alice had always wanted Betty to follow in her footsteps and become a reporter. Or even a journalist. Perhaps work at the Register in Riverdale with her. Like hell. But the plan originally was to major in Journalism when she went to college at NYU. Jughead went to college with her, except he majored in Criminology. After her first year of college, she decided she wanted to keep solving mysteries with Jughead, just like they had when they were way too young. When she switched majors, Alice had never been more distraught in her entire life. Of course, Betty had to take summer classes to catch up with Jughead. And he was the most supportive person in her life during that time. Like always. 

"I think you've been watching _way_ too much TV-" Betty paused when she saw a folder slip under her door. Polly followed her line of sight. "Can you get that?" Betty asked. Polly walked over and picked the folder up. " _Do not_ ," Betty said when Polly's fingertip touched the opening. "Open it." Her sister rolled her eyes and handed Betty the folder. 

"What is it?" 

"Something Jughead wanted me to see," Betty muttered, opening it out of Polly's line of sight. 

"Why couldn't he just hand it to you?" 

"Because you're here and he hates you," Betty said passively, scanning the pictures before her. A new body. In Oahu. The other victims were there, and Jughead took the liberty of circling one detail in their files in red ink. Blonde. They were all blonde. Betty shut the file. "That's real nice, Jones," Betty muttered, cringing. Polly looked over at her. 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Betty said quickly, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "I can do the rest, okay? Just... tell mom I'll call her." 

"Is Archie going with you?" Polly asked. Betty knew she was dying to ask that question. She had been at the dinner almost two weeks ago where Archie had inexplicably embarrassed her. Betty glared at Polly. 

"Yes. And it is purely for work purposes. Our relationship wasn't serious in any way and I'm done with him if you must know. Even though it's none of your business. Now, scram." Betty waved her hand at her. Polly let out an exasperated sigh and then walked towards the door. 

"By the way," she said, pausing and turning to look at Betty. Betty raised her eyes and looked at her sister beneath lowered brows. "I don't know why Jughead hates me so much. I'm a perfectly nice person." A comical smile Betty couldn't hold back spread across her face. Polly rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered, before opening the door and walking out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind her. 

When her footsteps in the hall faded, Betty picked the folder back up and opened it. The newest victim's name was Amber Taylor. Betty stared at the picture. There was so much blood, mostly dried. Her head... someone had-she shut the folder abruptly, and tossed it on the coffee table, staring at it as if it was a rat. Hugging her knees to her chest, she heard a pounding begin to fill her ears. She probably sat there staring at the closed folder for hours. 

The next day, she finished packing, and then basically spent the day memorizing every word in the files. Jughead stopped by now and then, but after he had just left half an hour before, he said he wasn't going to come back and that he would see her in the morning. He had his things to get done last minute before they left. He also said, to her disliking and apparently his, that they would have to be gone by five-thirty, and that the flight would depart at seven. Agent Connor had called him and told him that if either of them were late, they would be left behind. Something about that seemed like a lie since Penny made it sound like they were important to the case, but neither of them was taking chances. 

Maybe if Betty didn't go it wouldn't have been the end of the world, since Jughead is the one Penny wanted on the case. Betty just happened to be his partner. Bullshit. Of course, Jughead is oblivious and would say he doubted that very much if Betty ever asked. It wasn't that she wasn't good at her job, because she was _very_ good at it. Equal to Jughead in most ways. But after being suspended for two months after her last case... nobody talked about it, most of all her. If Jughead ever brought it up he was lucky to not get smacked in the face. 

Of course, Penny didn't put as much trust into Betty after the incident. No, Jughead was definitely her favorite after everything. Betty was still convinced she wanted to fuck him, but Jughead would never even think that. Now she sat, her legs tucked under her, on her couch. It was pouring rain outside, and the lights were dimmed in her apartment. She _loved_ rainy days. She took a sip of coffee from her mug as she went over the details in the file. 

She had to admit, the details were hard to read. One of her weaknesses. Reading them wasn't nearly as bad as looking at the pictures, though. With one last glance, she shut the folder. She'd seen enough. Looking around, she went through a list in her head of everything she had done that day. She told her landlord that _both_ her and Jughead would be gone for an unknown amount of time. Two and a half weeks at the least. She had told Jughead she would take care of that since they shared the same landlord anyway. After running through her mental list, she decided she would just go to bed early. Until tomorrow. 

The whole morning was a blur. Betty barely remembered the details. She woke up at five in the morning, to double-check that she had everything, and then get ready to leave for the airport. She had given Jughead all of the files the night before. She couldn't exactly sleep with them just sitting in her living room. She doubted Jughead could say the same. When they saw each other in the hallway, they didn't say anything to each other. They just nodded their acknowledgment before going down the elevator and into the cab they would be sharing. 

Dark circles lay under Jughead's eyes, and in the car, she wondered if he even bothered to brush his unruly hair. He looked more like a mad scientist than a detective. But now when she looked at him, his temple was against the window, and he was asleep. Figures. He probably stayed up all night memorizing every word in those files. Betty didn't think about her outfit for the day. She just pulled on an old pair of jeans and an NYU sweatshirt-the school she went to-before putting her hair in a bun, with no energy to deal with it. Jughead had his usual leather jacket over a t-shirt, with a simple pair of black jeans on. 

It was a rainy day in New York City. Water droplets covered Betty's window and the sky was covered with gray clouds, full of water. When Betty rested her cheek against the glass, icy coolness met her skin. Drowsiness clouded her senses, but she pushed it away. At least one of them should be awake, she thought as she glanced at Jughead and saw his mouth open in his sleep. A smile curved her lips upward. They should have gotten coffee first. 

It took half an hour to get to the airport, and they were lucky it only took that time. It was a Tuesday, and there hadn't been much traffic on the way. They had just walked through the front doors and across the open floor, when Betty saw two familiar men, standing next to two more figures that Betty barely remembered.

She always did like airports, though she barely went to them. There was never really a reason to get on a plane in her world. There weren't many places she needed to go to that were outside New York. But the rare times she did... it was like a different world in the airport. Different people everywhere, the constant smell of coffee. It was perfect. A good place to get lost.

She looked to Jughead, who looked like an angsty teenager who just got woken up on a Saturday. He barely registered the four figures. He didn't acknowledge her before he just walked right over, Betty following behind. Archie saw them first. 

"Finally," he muttered irritably. Betty didn't have the energy to send a retort his way. It also probably wasn't the best time, in front of the two agents. The tall man-Agent Connor nodded to her. 

"Did you get the tickets Peabody emailed you?" Agent Blossom just asked. At least _she_ didn't seem tired in the least bit at five forty-five in the morning. Betty just nodded. 

"On our phones," she said. 

"What about-" The redhead was abruptly cut off when a loud whoop sounded from behind them. Betty looked over her shoulder to see a tiny woman with amber skin headed directly towards them. And-and Veronica Lodge, lugging two bags. She shoved her thick glasses up her nose and looked at the small woman in front of her with a glare on her face. Betty raised her eyebrows and glanced at Agent Blossom, who had pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"Sorry I'm late!" The woman said upon approaching them. She went right to Agent Connor's side and grinned up at him. "Lodge is a little slow," she nodded toward Veronica, who almost tripped over her own feet when she approached. 

"Who are you?" Archie snapped. "And why is _Lodge_ here?" he asked, nodding towards Veronica, who was panting mildly. 

"This is Agent Topaz," Connor said. "She works in cybersecurity and digital forensics-" 

"You're a hacker?" Betty asked, cutting him off. 

"That would be the simple term, yes," Agent Topaz said pridefully. "But call me Toni. I am not a fan of the whole..." She waved her hand towards Blossom and Connor. "Yeah, no." Unlike the two other agents, she wasn't wearing a suit. No, she wore a black beanie atop her head, with ripped jeans and a black sequence top. 

"Why is Lodge here?" Archie demanded once more. Toni fixed him with a glare. Veronica answered this time. 

"Last night Penny-Peabody-Chief Peabody called me and told me to come. And-and emailed my ticket," Veronica said, nodding more to herself than anyone else. "She says I should give her updates." 

"We can just do that ourselves," Reggie said, before laughing as if that was ridiculous. 

"It doesn't matter," Jughead said, speaking for the first time that day. His voice came out throaty and deep, and everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows. He looked irritated. "Can we just _go_?" he asked. Betty raised an eyebrow. 

"That sounds like a great idea! Sweet Pea, Cheryl, onward-" Toni was about to continue, but Archie cut her off. 

"Your name's Sweet Pea?" he asked, looking at Agent Connor with wide eyes. _Sweet Pea_ glared at Toni. 

"It's Sam," he ground out. Toni looked at Archie and shook her head. 

_Sweet Pea_ , she mouthed. Betty grinned. 

"We're not going through the public airport security," Sweet Pea said, ignoring her. Toni's eyes gleamed. 

"Private jet?" she asked. 

"No," he said, shooting her a look. "Come on." Giving them no more information than that, he began walking, Cheryl trailing directly behind. Betty meant to give Jughead a look, but he wasn't next to her when she turned. He was walking away, following the two agents. 

Exasperated, Betty rolled her eyes and began to follow. Ten minutes later, they were in an empty room with two air marshals standing on the other side of a metallic table. Betty had never actually traveled for work before, so every time she got on a plane, she didn't do this. She just went through security like every other person. Albeit, she also wasn't carrying fire-arms all those other times. 

"ID's and badges," one of the marshals said. They all obliged, except for Veronica who put down her ID but no badge. Nobody questioned it. She didn't have a badge. 

"Weapons," the other marshal said. Nobody moved for a few seconds. And then they were all moving. Jughead reached behind him and pulled a gun out of the back of his pants before putting it on the table. Then he reached into his jacket and put down another one. Betty didn't move, because she didn't _have_ her gun. Her gun was in her luggage, that Penny had promised her wouldn't be going through any scanners. Archie had one gun, Reggie had one, Sweet Pea had two, and Cheryl one. Toni and Veronica joined Betty in not making a move. 

"Should have asked for a private jet," Toni whispered to Sweet Pea. His cool steely look didn't waver. 

"Okay," the first marshal said. 

Betty rolled her eyes and left, Veronica and Toni following her while the rest gathered their guns. Ten minutes later, they were all sitting at their gate. The seat next on Betty's left was missing, due to Jughead saying he was going to get coffee mere seconds after they got there. On her other side, Veronica sat, texting rapidly on her phone. Betty was trying her best to focus on the words in her book open on her lap, but all she could think about was the file that she _knew_ was in the first zipper on Jughead's bag sitting a few feet away from her leg. She bounced her knee up and down impatiently. 

A ten-hour flight would be hell. Just as she was about to shut her book, Jughead came out of nowhere and thrust a cup of coffee in her face, steam curling out from the top. Betty grimaced and took the cup before he sat down in the seat next to her, holding his cup of coffee. Betty closed her book and shoved it in her backpack, before bringing the cup to her lips. She could vaguely hear Toni talking about something insignificant to Sweet Pea, with Cheryl deliberately ignoring her. 

Turning her head to see Archie staring at her, Betty abruptly turned to Jughead, and he lifted tired eyes to meet hers. She frowned. "Did you get _any_ sleep last night?" she asked. 

"A few minutes," he muttered. She rolled her eyes. "You're crazy," she murmured. "Did you think if you stared at those files long enough, new information would just form?" 

"Yes," he said platonically. 

"Hm," she mused, shaking her head slightly. Her own eyelids began to feel heavy. She set her coffee cup down on the armrest and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Ten texts from her mother. She was vaguely aware of Jughead subtly looking over her shoulder before she shut her phone off and put it in her backpack. She refused to meet Jughead's stare. 

It wasn't until another twenty minutes that their section got called and they began to board the plane. When they were all seated, with Betty sitting by the window and Jughead next to her-Sweet Pea next to Jughead, Betty shut the window without hesitation. Jughead ran a hand through his hair while he turned his phone off. Betty let out a sigh and leaned her head back against the headrest, looking up at the ceiling of the plane. It would be a long flight indeed. 

"Betty," a familiar voice said soothingly. She let out a groan in response. She couldn't remember his name. She couldn't remember her own name. "Betty," he said again. Jughead. She cracked her eyes open to look up at him. She saw his neck first, and then his face. At some point, she had leaned her head against his shoulder and fell asleep. "Wake up, we're about to land," he said. She moved away, and sat up straight, her neck stiff. 

When she pushed up the window cover, She was met by brightly lit, blue sky, and turquoise water. She frowned in confusion. "What time is it?" she asked, looking at Jughead. He pulled out his phone. His eyes were red as if he had been asleep as well.

"Ten-thirty," he said. Betty blinked. "Different time zone," he reminded her. She sunk back in her seat and let out a long sigh, having forgotten about that. She had been hoping she could just climb into bed once they got to their hotel and sleep forever. 

"I slept for ten hours?" she asked incredulously. A humorous smile broke out on Jughead's face. At least _he_ was feeling better. 

"You woke up a few times," he shrugged. She didn't remember, but after the plane took off, Betty had been so utterly _tired_. She rubbed her eyes and looked over across Jughead. Sweet Pea was frowning down at his phone. Across the aisle, Toni was talking to Archie about something that Betty couldn't hear clearly, and on Archie's other side Veronica had her nose buried in a book. 

Betty let out a small groan and buried her hands in her face. Despite sleeping for around nine and a half hours, she could tell it was going to be a very long day. Unfortunately. 

After the plane landed, and they all retrieved their luggage, Betty had been pleasantly surprised by the air that hit her skin as they walked outside the airport. It was humid, but there was a slight breeze. It was certainly a change from New York, without the gray clouds and smoggy air. Nobody else seemed to share her surprise, though. 

They had all piled into the black SUV waiting for them by the curb, only to be greeted by the man in the passenger's seat. He had the most gorgeous pair of green eyes that reflects against the sunlight as he turned in his seat. Betty didn't recognize him but Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Toni did. Toni grinned at him, and to Betty's surprise, he smiled right back. 

"Glad to see you all made it in one piece," he said, nodding to Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea kept that infuriatingly calm steely look on his face. 

"This is Agent Kevin Keller he will be appointing us while we're here," he said, folding his hands together. Kevin nodded. 

"I'm going to take you to the hotel first, you will have ten minutes to get situated before I want you all to meet me in the lobby so I can show you the crime scene. Well, just Agents Connor and Blossom, and Detectives Cooper and Jones. The rest of you will wait until I retrieve you," Kevin explained. 

"Crime scene?" Betty asked. 

"You're staying at the same hotel as two of the victims in Oahu. The crime scene is not far from there," Kevin explained. A chill went down Betty's spine. 

"Great. Who's idea was that? Yours?" Betty asked, giving Jughead a side-look. He looked slightly amused, to Betty's bewilderment. "Anyway... there's only one crime scene but two victims?" 

"The first crime scene has already been looked at by the Oahu Police Department. It's also been cleaned up. Both bodies are still in the morgue. The second crime scene hasn't been cleaned up yet, I told them to wait until you two looked at it," Agent Keller said. Betty just winced, despite herself. 

Jughead was staring at her now, though she made a point to ignore his stare. Instead, she looked out her window in awe. Miles of beach and clear blue water. It was probably the most beautiful sight she had seen yet. On the there side of the car, it was just jungle and hills covered with grass and trees. Betty could see Veronica looking out her window with wide eyes as well. It was very different from New York City indeed. 

If she thought the car ride was eye-pleasing, the hotel was so different. It made her forget that two college girls had been kidnapped only to be sex trafficked and then found dead weeks later. Betty had never seen so many palm trees in one place or... a place so green. The structure itself was light and airy, and from the front, she couldn't see the backside, but driving down the road she was able to see the beach and miles of ocean behind it. As they walked in through the doors and in the lobby, they could see the several too-big pools through clear glass doors in the courtyard made up of mostly greenery. So much for having a whole ocean. 

Keller told them to wait while he got their keys at the front desk before he walked away and left them. Betty was staring out the clear glass doors, unable to tear her eyes away from the impossibly blue sky and white sand all the way down to the beach. When she finally looked back to her companions and tuned in to what they were talking about, she realized they were talking about the case and she should probably be paying attention. 

"Do you still have the USB I gave you?" Toni asked Cheryl. Cheryl shot her a vicious glare that everyone noticed but pretended they didn't. Toni only smirked innocently at her while the redhead fished the small chip out of her pocket and slapped it into Toni's hand. Sweet Pea gave Cheryl an incredulous look, that she ignored. "Thanks!" Toni said. 

"I'm going to the bathroom," Cheryl snapped to Sweet Pea before stalking away. It was very similar to the way Cheryl treated Toni at the airport in New York. When Betty opened her mouth to ask, Sweet Pea silently shook his head and she closed it again.

Archie and Reggie were in their own worlds, and Jughead was texting on his phone. No doubt Penny, Betty thought with no amount of satisfaction. Veronica seemed like she was trying very hard _not_ to acknowledge any of them. Betty was about to say something to her when Kevin walked up to them, running a hand through his styled brown hair. "Alright," he said, blowing a breath out of his mouth. "Here you go. It was hell trying to get you guys to stay here so... you're welcome." He handed each one of them their keys, which all had decorative little floral symbols on the cards. 

With that, they each departed. Sweet Pea had taken Cheryl's key and then went to hunt her down. 

Betty's room was on the bottom floor, while everyone else's was on upper-level floors. So, she walked to her room alone, frowning when she stopped in front of the door that matched the number on her key-card. Inserting the card in through the door, and waiting for the tiny green light to flicker, she turned the handle and opened the door. She didn't even really have time to process everything before she walked in, bringing her luggage with her, and shutting the door behind her. She had ten minutes. But when she took everything in, she wished she had more time. 

It was the most luxurious thing she had ever gotten to stay in. It had cream-colored walls and the bed was a king-size, and the room itself was the size of her apartment-not including the bathroom which was a work of art itself. It wasn't really the room that took her breath away, though. She walked over to the glass doors and opened them, walking out to the balcony. The whole platform was above a shallow area of the water, with the beach a few feet past the structure of her room. To the far right, where the railing ended, a staircase began, right into the water. 

Betty felt crazed laughter bubble up in her chest at the sight, but she reminded herself quickly of Keller's words. Before she could find herself plunging into the water, she walked right back into the room and shut the glass doors behind her. Walking to the center of the room, she looked down where there was a clear glass square pane on the floorboards, revealing fish in the ocean under the platform. Her skeleton practically jumped out of her skin when her phone rang and the retched sound filled the peaceful silence of the room. Betty picked up her phone and frowned at the time. It was eleven there, but it would be five in the afternoon in New York, and her mother was calling. 

With a sigh, she answered and pressed the phone to her ear. "Yes?" 

"I called you ten times in the last thirty-six hours is your phone broken?" Alice Cooper's voice filled Betty's skull so suddenly, that she wished she hadn't answered the phone. 

"No, I was on a ten-hour flight," Betty said flatly. 

"Did you get there safely?" 

"Yes, and I have work to do so is there something you wanted to tell me?" Betty snapped. It went quiet on the other side, and Betty knew what was coming. 

"I just want to make sure you're okay-" 

"I was cleared to work," Betty said abruptly. Too abruptly. She forced herself to push down the rising panic in her chest. What she couldn't do is act that way in front of Jughead. He would tell Penny without a second thought and then say he only did it because he _cares_ about her. What a joke. She was fine. 

"But after last time-" 

"Okay, bye mom," Betty said before she hung up. Closing her eyes, she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. Again. Again. She did this until she could gain control of her nerves again. 

Conveniently, a knock on the door sounded right as she finished. Furrowing her brows, she opened the door and then immediately tried to close it again. Archie caught it and pushed it back open, holding it. 

"What, Andrews?" Betty snapped. 

"Jesus, I just wanted to talk, what's your problem?" 

"I have to meet Keller in the lobby in exactly..." Betty looked at the time. "Five minutes." 

"That's all I need," he said simply. 

"I don't want to talk to you," she said flatly. He rolled his eyes and mussed his hair slightly. 

"You never let me say sorry," he finally said after a few seconds of silence. Betty crossed her arms over her chest. He frowned down at her. "If I'm going to be working with you for... a while I just wanted to apologize." 

"That was two weeks ago. I don't care, Archie. You were just a quick fuck. Can I go now?" she asked. He stared at her for a moment before moving out of her way. She shut the door behind her and walked past him, down the hall, without a second glance. And she didn't feel bad at all. 


	3. Shark Bait

Once Betty had turned the corner and was away from Archie, she stopped and put a hand on her forehead, before taking a deep breath and straightening her shirt. No way was she going to deal with his shit while she was here. She was there for business and business only. She was getting irritated just thinking about the redhead showing up at her door like that. She didn't care that he wanted to apologize for making a complete ass out of himself. 

But now was not the time to get aggravated over it. She put her hair up in a tight ponytail before she continued walking down the long halls to the lobby. As beautiful as it was, the hotel was bigger than it looked from the outside. When she reached the marble floors of the lobby and saw four figures standing there, waiting for her, she picked up the pace until she met with them. Keller gave her an impatient glance at her approach. 

"I said ten minutes," he said. Betty raised an eyebrow and looked at Jughead before back at Kevin. 

"It's been ten minutes," she said softly. 

"That means you get here in five. Come on," without another word, he walked away and out the two grand double doors. Betty shut her eyes and breathed in while Sweet Pea and Cheryl followed him. 

"Are you okay?" Jughead asked his hands in his pockets. Betty opened her eyes and looked at him with a frown. 

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be? Don't be ridiculous," she said, before walking away and following behind Cheryl. She could hear Jughead sigh exasperatingly behind her before he began to follow as well. 

Kevin led them outside and continued down a set of ancient stone staircases, down, down, down until they were on the beach, and Betty was wincing at the soft sand against her shoes. He walked off towards some more vegetation, out towards where trees began and a jungle started, but he stopped just at the edge of the jungle. Large, bright lights had been set up so they could see everything clearly, and dried dark red-almost black blood coated the grass and sand. Tape had been lined exactly where the body had been-now in the mortuary. 

"They dumped her here," Kevin said, crouching down just outside the crime tape, and looking at the ground, before looking up at them all. "I gave the files to Agent Connor. It also includes the crime scene photos from the other victim. She was staying at the same hotel but they dumped her at a different location." 

"Did they know each other?" Betty asked. "The victims." 

"We interviewed the friend groups of each and ordered them to stay for another week so you two can interview them. They went to the same college but didn't know each other. It was Spring Break, so I wasn't surprised," Kevin said, standing straight up. Jughead circled around the tape, looking closely at the ground. 

"Was there any evidence?" Jughead asked. Kevin looked at him. He didn't look up as he continued, "any hair follicles... a button, anything?" 

"Nothing," Kevin said with a heavy sigh. "The couple who found the body said it reeked of bleach at the time. There was no trace of it, though. Forensics was thorough." 

"They did something _before_ dumping the body," Cheryl mused. Kevin nodded. Jughead was still concentrated, not looking at any of them. 

"I actually wanted to talk to Detective Cooper. Alone," Kevin said. Jughead did look up now. Betty looked over to Sweet Pea and Cheryl, who looked _very_ interested in the grass. They knew what this was about. Jughead couldn't have. He looked just as skeptical as her. 

"Okay," she said. Kevin nodded and walked right past her. Betty gave Jughead one last look before following. He didn't say anything until he was sure they were out of earshot of the others. 

"I asked for two officers to be here. I told Penny specifically that I wanted one male and one female. Instead, she gave me two males. That does not work in my favor, Betty," he said. He sounded distraught. He stopped walking abruptly and turned so he was right in front of her. She almost crashed right into his chest, but stopped herself, digging the balls of her feet into the sand. 

"With all due respect, what do you want me to do with this information, sir?" Betty asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"I needed two undercover cops. The _female_ would have been more useful than the male," he said. Her heart began to sink into her stomach. She wouldn't play his game. He would have to ask her if he wanted a response. 

"I'm not sure what that means," she said, flashing him a smile. 

"Betty, I have a fake ID set up for you, with copies of your old records from NYU. I had the dates changed on the copies. I want you to be undercover for me," he said. Betty stared at him for what felt like a full minute before she snorted, and her giggles turned into full-on laughing. 

"Oh my gosh, you almost had me," she said. Keller didn't look very amused. "What do you want from me?" He stared at her with an ice-cold stare. Her smile faded. "Oh, you're serious." 

"Dead serious." 

"I'm a _detective._ Ask one of the others! Blossom, Topaz, even Lodge okay she's a _secretary._ I have... no. I'm sorry but I'm saying no." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked off towards the water. It looked so _nice_. She wanted to run into it and swim. 

"There are only three other women here and one has red hair, two of them are women of color, and you..." He nodded, and she had the sudden urge to punch him in the face. Say it _fucker-_ "you are a caucasian young girl with blonde hair." She balled her hands into fists at her sides. 

"Oh I _know_ you _assholes_ didn't just drag my ass all the way down here just so you can use me as shark bait!" she yelled. Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Cheryl looked over at them. Betty glanced down at Kevin's hands and a gold glimmer caught her eye. He had a gold band around his ring finger. She laughed incredulously. "You're _married._ How would your wife feel if she knew you were using me for-" 

"I'm gay," he said simply. 

"I don't-" Betty paused. "What?" 

"I have a husband," he repeated. Betty stared at him with raised eyebrows. 

"I'm not doing it!" she finally yelled. 

"Detective Cooper, the last thing I want to do is offend you. In fact, I have been trying not to do this for a very long time. But this has been a problem in New York City for a few years and now it's moved to Oahu. I still want you and Detective Jones to be the lead detectives on this case. I'm just asking that you go undercover as a college student from NYU." 

"Why? So I can get trafficked? Do you know how many other _blondes_ are here? Is that seriously what you're going off of, a gamble?" 

"No, of course not. It's just convenient for us that you fit the profile. But Mantle and Andrews will be accompanying you in this, and I feel we can gain a lot of information with someone in your position. And theirs. I want you to _blend_ in and get intel," Kevin explained. Betty bounced her knee back and forth and bit her lip. 

"Does that mean I can't interview the witnesses with Jughead?" she asked. 

"You can. Just _not_ any of the college students staying at this hotel. Amber's friends and the other victim's companions have moved to another hotel. Along with the two who discovered Amber. Beyond that, you cannot interview anyone with Detective Jones," Kevin said. 

Betty rubbed her forehead, feeling the Agent's eyes on her. Waiting. Expecting. Expecting her to say yes. _Convenient. She was convenient._ She let out a sigh. "What's my name, Agent Keller?" she asked. For the first time since she saw him in the car that morning, the agent smiled. 

"Victoria Collins," he said. "And your brother is Alex Collins." Betty raised an eyebrow. "Archie," he explained. Betty laughed and clasped her hands together. 

"Oh... Keller," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "You're lucky I'm flattered. Do you think I can pass for a college girl? Respect," she said, walking away, back towards the crime scene. Kevin frowned and put his hands in his pockets. 

"Don't mess it up!" 

" _What?_ " Jughead said, an hour later in her room. Betty stood in front of the body mirror on the far wall, makeup brush in hand. 

"Yeah, yeah, can we skip the part where you're shocked Penny would let him use me as bait?" Betty asked, swiping under her eye. "But not you, oh no." 

"I'm a guy," he said flatly. 

"What a great day to have a dick," Betty mumbled. "I can pass for nineteen, right? Twenty-three at the latest," she said, backing away and putting down the brush before surveying herself in the mirror. 

"You're twenty-three," Jughead said flatly. 

"There's the attitude I'm looking for," Betty said with enthusiastic sarcasm. "I'm not sure about Archie and Reggie, though. They at least _look_ their age. Although, I could have kissed Kevin for making Archie, my brother. Hey, by the way, did you know-" Betty turned around to see Jughead staring at her. It didn't look like he was paying attention to anything she had been saying. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, files open on the space next to him. Sweet Pea had given him the files before they left. Jughead didn't even seem to realize he was staring. "What?" Betty asked. 

He shook his head as if getting out of a daze and blinked. Once. Twice. "Nothing. Nothing," he said, clearing his throat and picking up the first file. Jessica Parker's file. The very first victim in Oahu. He began sorting through it, except his eyes didn't move with the words. Betty shook her head. 

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked, sitting down next to him. He didn't move his eyes from the folder. "I've never been _undercover_ before. I wasted a year of my career dealing with the press in communications before Penny gave me a uniform." It was true. Jughead got to become an actual police officer while Penny made Betty deal with news stations trying to get information off of the station. 

"You'll be fine," Jughead said dismissively. Betty stared at him, but he didn't look up from that file. 

"Jughead," Betty said firmly. He finally lifted his head and his eyes met hers. 

"What?" he said softly. She pursed her lips, and his gaze never left hers. She opened her mouth to tell him how arrogant he could be. How he made her feel inferior to him without even trying. About Penny-

"Betty!" Reggie's voice sounded from the hall, and Betty tore her gaze away from Jughead's. He frowned, and it looked like he was _glaring_ at the door murderously. Betty gave him a pointed look before standing up and walking towards the door, opening it to be met by Archie and Reggie. 

"What?" she snapped at them. They had been laughing, looking stupid, and leaning on each other. 

"We're going to the bar outside. Want to come? Veronica and Toni are already there," Archie said, his amusement fading. Betty let out a sigh. 

"I was in the middle of something with Jughead... _Alex_ ," Betty said, smirking and crossing her arms over her chest. Archie let out a groan in response. "How old are we anyway? Keller didn't tell me and I still haven't gotten my fake ID." 

" _Victoria_ ," Archie spat in annoyance. "Is twenty. And I'm supposed to be twenty-two. Same with Reggie." Betty almost burst into a fit of laughter. Archie was twenty-five. So was Reggie. It was comical. Reggie shot her a glare. 

"What? I can pass for twenty-two," Reggie said defensively. Betty rolled her eyes. 

"And what name did Keller give you?" she asked. 

"Mark," Reggie mumbled. Archie snorted. "Mark Alberts." Betty joined Archie in laughing this time. Reggie rolled his eyes and walked down the hall. 

"I'll meet you guys down there in fifteen minutes," Betty whispered. Archie nodded and looked past her. When Betty looked over her shoulder, Jughead had his nose in the files. 

"Are you coming, Jones?" Archie called. 

"I'll pass," Jughead said uninterestedly. Archie frowned and then shook his head before following Reggie down the hall. Betty shut the door. 

"You should come," Betty said, walking away from the door. Jughead didn't look up.

"Maybe later. I'm probably going to go back to my room and make some calls. Let the mortuary know we're stopping by tomorrow." He looked up just as Betty pulled her shirt off. He jumped up and turned around. "A warning, next time," he said, his voice too calm. 

"Calm down," Betty said dismissively, pulling her pants off and then flipping her suitcase open. Jughead's hands twitched, and he focused hard on the blank wall right in front of him, though he could see Betty's shadow on the wall, stark with the sun shining through the glass doors. "You can look now," she said a few moments later. 

"What the hell are you wearing?" Jughead asked incredulously. She had put on a bikini top, with no shirt and a short pair of jean shorts. 

"Something a college girl would wear," Betty said, putting her hands on her hips. "Like it?" He stared at her for a moment, his eyes dipping down once and then immediately meeting her gaze again. 

"No." 

Betty rolled her eyes. "Liar," she said. "Anyway if I'm going drinking tonight I might as well go as Victoria Collins," she said, grabbing a pair of flip-flops and heading towards the door. 

Jughead let out a frustrated sigh. "Betty, you don't-" 

"I'm starting right away. I might hear some information tonight, or have to talk to a group. The best way to do that is as... not myself. I'll see you later, Juggie." She slipped through the door. 

"Betty-" The door shut before he could say anything else. Jughead stood there, staring at the closed door, expecting it to open and for her to come walking back through. That didn't happen. He let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed, running his hands over his face and through his hair. "Fuck," he muttered. 

Betty walked outside and around the pools over to the bar where she saw her four familiar companions. Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Kevin were nowhere to be seen. As she walked over and took a seat on a stool next to Archie, he glanced at her and then did a double-take. 

"What the..." 

"You may call me Victoria," Betty said simply. Archie rolled his eyes. 

"Here we go-" 

"Betty, you look hot," Toni said, before whooping. Veronica sat quietly next to her, sipping a glass of water. She still wore those infuriating pair of thick-rimmed glasses. 

"I could say the same about you," Betty said to Toni. She had her hair down, pink highlights and all, and was wearing a pair of fishnets under black shorts, with a see-through top on that made her black bra visible. Toni smiled in response. 

"I try," she said. She then turned to say something to Veronica. Betty took this as an opportunity to look around. There really were college kids _everywhere_. So much for having two girls murdered and sex trafficked. That didn't stop these kids. Betty saw all kinds of them. Lots were grinding against each other by the pool. 

"Take your pick, Archie. So many groups to choose from. Too many," Betty mumbled. 

"Preferably one with girls over the age of eighteen, you know what I'm saying?" Reggie asked, craning his head to join in the conversation. Both Betty and Archie gave him unimpressed looks. "Inappropriate. Got it, my bad," he said, clearing his throat and moving away. Archie rolled his eyes and turned back towards Betty. She was looking around again. 

"How many girls do you think there are here who are hanging out with handsome, possible sex trafficking men?" Betty asked, keeping her voice low. 

"Or women," Archie pointed out. Betty raised an eyebrow. "Who are you going to trust more? A man or a woman?" 

"It's unlikely," Betty said pertly. 

Archie furrowed his brows. "But possible." 

Betty shook her head before saying, "Archie, trust me. We're looking for a _man_ talking to young girls. The description is blonde and caucasian. He's probably in his early twenties to mid-thirties." She looked away from him, bouncing her knee slightly. She could feel Archie's eyes on her before he finally looked away. 

"So what do we do?" he asked. Betty was quiet for a moment. Thinking. 

"I'll know more after tomorrow. Jughead and I are going to the mortuary to look at the bodies. And then we're interviewing the friends. They might know about older men talking to either Amber or Jessica. Hopefully, we'll get a description," Betty explained. Archie nodded his agreement. 

"Until then?" he asked. Betty shrugged and signaled to the bartender. 

"We listen." She asked for a gin and tonic, before moving closer to Toni and Veronica. They were having a conversation with Reggie. Or more like, Toni and Reggie were having a conversation and Veronica was just listening. She didn't talk much, that one. "Okay," Betty said in an announcing tone, sitting beside Toni. "What's going on between you and Sweet Pea? I have to know." Toni raised an eyebrow. 

"Agent Connor?" she asked. Betty nodded. "Sam Connor? That Sweet Pea?" 

"Is there another Sweet Pea?" 

"Betty..." Toni leaned closer. "I'm more likely to fuck you." Betty stared at the small woman. She blinked once, her only sign of surprise. 

"Why do I keep doing that?" she asked, running a hand over her face. Reggie and Archie erupted with laughter. 

"It happens, Nancy Drew," Toni said, leaning back in her chair. Betty rolled her eyes, placing both her elbows on the bar and sipping from her glass. The alcohol burned down her throat and warmed her stomach. The sky was beginning to turn a darker shade of blue, and when Betty checked the time, it had just turned five o'clock. "So where's Jones? He get period cramps?" Toni asked. Betty laughed, though the humor didn't reach her tone. 

"He's probably obsessing over the new files that Agent Keller gave him today," Betty said with the roll of her eyes. "He never stops." 

"No?" Toni swirled the liquid around in her glass. "Are you sure about that?" Betty raised an eyebrow at Toni's knowing, skeptical look. She was about to ask what, exactly, she meant when Veronica yelped as a group of boys walked behind her, whooping, and fell off her stool. After a few seconds, she pulled herself up and got back on the stool. Both Betty and Toni were watching her with amused looks. 

Veronica finally noticed their stares and looked directly at them, blinking once. "What?" she asked. And that's when they both burst into a fit of laughter. Veronica continued to blink, her cheeks turning a rosy red color against her olive skin. 

"We're just messing with you," Toni said when they were done. Betty wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. 

"Okay, what's with the whole... librarian thing you've got going on?" Betty asked. Veronica blushed further. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

"I mean, it's eighty-five degrees out here and you're wearing a gigantic sweatshirt and jeans," Betty said. Veronica looked down at herself and then frowned. Betty got a sinking feeling in her gut. "Wait I didn't mean it in a bad way-" 

"You're right," Veronica said with a sigh. Betty raised her eyebrows. "I didn't get to pack any of my good clothes. Penny fucking Peabody had the _audacity_ to call me at five in the morning to tell me that I had to get my ass to the airport and come with the... as she put it, _professionals_. and to do what, exactly? A job you all can just as easily do? Bullshit. But hey, I got to go to Hawaii, so who am I to complain? God, what I would give to punch that bitch right in her face, though." Veronica shrugged and took a sip from her glass. When she looked up, Betty, Toni, Archie, and Reggie were staring at her with wide eyes. "What are you all looking at?" 

Suddenly, Toni howled with laughter, and Betty joined her. They almost fell on top of each other as they laughed until their stomachs hurt _so bad_. But they couldn't stop. It was so ironic. Veronica had barely said two words in the past twenty-four hours, but here she was. They had her all wrong. When Toni got done, Betty was still laughing breathlessly, her face buried in her hands. Archie and Reggie just exchanged looks. 

"Oh, Lodge... I think I'm going to like you," Toni said, rubbing her watery eyes. Veronica grinned. "I'll let you borrow some of my clothes. Until we can get you some new ones." 

"Thanks," she said, clinking her glass against Toni's. 

"So, _Victoria_ ," Toni said, turning to Betty. 

"Archie," Betty said with a warning tone. He shrugged. 

"They were going to find out anyway," he said, and then turned back to Reggie to finish whatever he had been saying. 

Betty just shook her head and looked back to Toni. Toni was smiling. "I think we should put your new alias up to the test. See if you still got it," Toni said. Veronica leaned in closer to listen. Betty blanched. 

"What do you mean?" 

Toni nodded over towards a group of frat boys. "Go get their attention. Don't drop the innocent girl act until at least one is practically _begging_ to fuck you," Toni said, leaning her elbows back behind her, against the bar as the watched the boys. Betty followed her line of sight. They were all whooping and trying to shove the smallest one into the pool. Betty cringed. She was so _over_ that phase of her life. She looked back to Toni. She was giving Betty a daring look. "Go on." 

"You're being serious?" Betty asked. Toni nodded. "What's in it for me?" Betty let her own grin slip onto her face and raised an eyebrow. Toni and Veronica smiled at each other before they both looked to Betty. 

"Fifty bucks," Toni said, with a shrug. "Unless there's something else you're interested in." It was more than a question than anything, but... Betty didn't want anything. But fifty bucks was fifty bucks. She shrugged. 

"Alright. Easy," she said, hopping off the stool and standing up straight. She pulled her shorts up higher and tugged on the straps to her bikini top. Archie frowned and stopped talking mid-sentence, his eyebrows furrowing. Betty winked at him, before turning around and walking to the group of boys. 

"What is she doing?" he asked. 

"Just watch," Toni said, nodding towards where Betty had walked off to. 

Betty looked over her shoulder and grinned at them before looking straight ahead, and aiming for one of the boys in particular. He was huge. Probably around six foot five. He had amber skin and was too distracted to be holding that cup. Perfect. Betty ran right into him and let his drink spill right all over her front side. Fury filled her eyes as she looked up at him. He gaped down at her as if she had come out of nowhere, which, was the point. He looked down at her chest, and his eyes lingered for perhaps too long. 

"What the hell?" Betty yelled. He stuttered for a second, a look of confusion and surprise clouding his features. He looked like he couldn't have been older than twenty. 

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly. Betty rolled her eyes. 

"Sure you are," she said, looking down and scoffing. She picked at the small fabric of her bikini top and let out an exasperated sigh. "This probably won't come out."

"Seriously, I didn't see you," he said, sounding genuinely apologetic. Betty put a hand on her forehead. 

"It's fine, I guess I should maybe watch where I'm going." She did her best to look at least a little tipsy and lost. 

"Here, let me make it up to you. Can I buy you a drink?" he asked. He had completely forgotten about his other friends. Betty looked up at him with a doe-eyed look, through her lashes. A small smile curved her lips upward. 

"Uh... sure. I'm Victoria. Victoria Collins." 

"Chuck," He said, flashing her a smile that showed off straight white teeth, stark against his amber skin. "Chuck Clayton." Betty let him put his hand on the small of her back and lead her toward the bar, in a section that was far from her companions. She looked back towards them and winked. Archie was staring with wide, shocked eyes. Toni was clapping and nodding as she laughed. 

"That worked?" she heard Archie yell incredulously. Betty fought the urge to laugh, even as a tickle went up her throat. 

It was half an hour later when the sun was beginning to set and the sky turned a beautiful orange-pink that Betty looked over her shoulder to look at Archie, Toni, Veronica, and Reggie. They weren't watching her anymore though they looked over every few minutes. There was no Jughead. _Maybe later_ , he had said. Bullshit. Betty looked back at Chuck and smiled. He hadn't even noticed she had stopped listening a long time ago. He _loved_ to talk about himself. It was starting to bore Betty to death. When he finally stopped talking and looked at her expectantly, she perked up and puffed her chest out slightly. 

"Really? That's so interesting," she said, letting out a serene laugh. "Hey, what school do you go to again?" 

"Columbia," he said, running a hand over his head. Betty nodded, forcing herself to look interested. "How about you?" 

"NYU," she said. He furrowed his brows but nodded nonetheless. 

"Oh, wow," he mumbled. He was losing interest. She mentally rolled her eyes. But then he smiled and looked her up and down, not even bothering to hide the fact he had looked directly at her chest and let his stare linger. She had an urge to punch him in the face but refrained. Instead, she just made herself look clueless. "Hey, it's getting dark out here. Do you want to go back to my room, and just talk?" he asked, getting closer to her. _Just talk. Yeah right, buddy._ Betty raised her eyebrows and was about to respond when her phone started ringing in her pocket. He looked down and back up at her face, and her lips. Betty smiled and held up a finger. 

"One sec," she said, before pulling her phone out, grateful for the interruption. She looked at the screen and squinted at the number. She didn't recognize it, but it was a New York area code. She flashed Chuck a serene smile and winked before accepting and pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?" 

She focused on the tiki light torches placed around the pool, illuminating the darkening area, and tried to block out the sounds of cheering, laughter, and music in the background. It was silent on the other end of the line, and Betty was beginning to wonder if she was being pranked. "Hello?" she repeated. 

"Betty?" a familiar, gravelly voice filled her ear. Her smile faded, and her blood turned into ice in her veins. It felt like her heart had just plummeted into the bottom of her stomach. Her breathing became shallow. A buzzing filled her ears, and her heartbeat began to quicken. No. _No._ No, no, no. The words just kept repeating themselves in her head. And then another word. _Why._

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked, touching her arm. The hairs on both her arms and on the back of her neck rose. She pulled away from Chuck's touch and turned away. 

"Betty?" The gravelly voice sounded again. Betty swallowed hard, and closed her eyes, fighting the stinging that had begun in them. Not here. Not here.

She licked her lips, and hesitated, before asking, "Nick?" Her voice had come out full of fear, and she wanted to rip her hair out at the sound of it. 

"Yeah," he laughed breathlessly. "Yeah, it's me. Can we talk?" And with a shaky hand, she took the phone from her ear and pressed that big red button at the bottom of her screen. She hung up. And then she took the time to block the number. 

"I have to go," she mumbled to Chuck. Before he could say anything else, she stood up and walked away. She walked right past Archie, Toni, Reggie, and Veronica without a word. 

"Betty?" Toni called, but she ignored her. She ignored them all. There was only one place she wanted to be at that moment. 

It was all a blur. Walking back into the hotel, through those glass double-doors, to the elevator. Pressing the button that would take her to the fifth floor. It felt like it had taken hours of waiting in that elevator, staring at the closed doors with blackness edging her vision, for those doors to slide back open again. She walked right through, and down the hallway, barely registering anything. All she could hear was the constant thud-thud-thud of her heartbeat in her own ears. 

When she stopped in front of the door and curled her hand into a fist, rapping her knuckles against the wood of the door, perhaps a bit too hard, she felt dizzy. Nothing made sense. Why, why, why. A minute passed. Two. She knocked again, harder. As she waited, she curled her hands into fists at her sides, letting her nails break the skin on her palms. 

Another minute later, the door opened and Jughead appeared, a soft expression on his face. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, his hair a mess. "Hey, sorry. I was-" He stopped and stiffened when he saw the expression on her face. At the look he gave her, tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. His eyes widened at the reaction. "Betty? What's wrong? What happened? Are you okay?" She didn't say anything. She just pressed her face to his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. He instinctively wrapped his own arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. 

"He called," she managed to say, her voice coming out in barely a whisper. 

"Who called?" he asked, his voice full of concern, and a promise. A promise that he would fix it. But he couldn't fix it. "Who called, Betty?" he asked again, his voice harsher, reverberating through her whole body. 

"Nick," she rasped. He tightened his hold on her. This time, he didn't say anything. Silence filled the space, and he just held her. He took a deep breath and then let it out. 

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay, Betty." He kissed the top of her head, before pulling her in and shutting the door behind her, cutting off that bright light. The somber darkness of the room enveloped them. She didn't remove her arms from around his waist until he led her to the bed and peeled her arms away. "Get on the bed," he said softly. 

She obliged, climbing onto the bed and getting under the covers. Jughead went around to the other side and got in, under the covers. Betty went to his side and rested her head on his shoulder, while he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She closed her eyes, draping an arm over his torso. 

"Thank you, Juggie. You're a good friend," she whispered. His whole body went stiff. 

"Always," he said. But as he stared at the ceiling, brows lowered, only one word was repeating itself over and over again in his head. 

_Fuck._


	4. Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was short but don’t worry because the next one will be a LONG one to make up for it.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._ The sound echoed through the chamber. It was so quiet, except for that dripping. All she could feel was the warmed metal of the grip in her hand, keeping her gun pointed at the ground. _Drip._ She didn't dare breathe. And then that sudden, loud sound echoed through the space, vibrating through her. A single gunshot. 

She fluttered her eyes open, sunlight blinding her. The curtains of the hotel were open, and she wanted nothing more than to close them. But then her eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand. Six in the morning. How the hell did she wake up on her own? When she got the strength to sit up and look around, she was alone in the bed. And she remembered the events of last night. A shudder went through her, remembering that phone call. And then coming to Jughead's hotel room. She wanted to hit herself. A small voice from the back of her mind spoke up. _Dramatic much?_ No. Just paranoid, she told that voice.

When she caught movement in the corner of her eye, she turned her head to see Jughead step out of the bathroom, dressed. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt, with his leather jacket over it, his badge hanging around his neck on a chain. She wanted to tell him that they were now above the equator, and he could stop dressing like the average stereotypical detective in every suspenseful movie _ever_ made, but decided it was too early. And also the look on his face told her that he was not in the mood. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, staring at her expectantly. 

"I'm not talking about it," she snapped, throwing the blankets back and getting out of the bed. 

"Betty," Jughead warned. 

"No, okay, don't do _that_!" She threw her hands up in frustration. 

"Do _what_?" he asked incredulously. 

"Go, _Betty_ , in that patronizing tone when you think I've done something wrong," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He raised his eyebrows at her. 

"Have you done something wrong?" he asked. 

"No!" 

"Then you're fine," he said flatly. He gave her an innocent smile, and her blood boiled. 

"I see what you're doing." 

"What am I doing?" he asked, furrowing his brows, his smile never disappearing. 

"Oh you make me _mad_ ," she said, clenching her fists. "You're like... baiting me." He huffed a laughed at that. "I'm fine, okay? I freaked out, but we are never going to speak of it again because I have a restraining order _and_ a badge, _and_ I am also in a place far, far away from New York so we killed three birds with one stone. I'm going to go get changed so we can go look at dead bodies, meet you in the lobby, 'kay?" She smiled, patting his shoulder before opening the door and stepping into the hall. 

"It's two birds-" Jughead began to call, but Betty shut the door, glaring at the wood. She let out a sigh and shook her head before walking away. 

Kevin had lent keys to Jughead, along with a rented car that was waiting outside for them once they left. Unlike Jughead, Betty actually dressed appropriately. She wore a maroon tank-top with a pair of shorts. Though, they were more comfortable and less scandalous than the pair from last night. Luckily, she remembered to bring her badge with her, keeping it in her back pocket. 

Even the drive to the _mortuary_ had been utterly beautiful. Thankfully, Jughead let the whole thing that happened the night before go. He didn't ask her any questions, and he didn't change the way he usually treated her. Betty thought that was mostly due to him being _afraid_ of her biting his head off for it. He was perfectly right in being so. Even if that was the case, he didn't let on. As always, he was extremely hard to read. But the drive was quiet for the most part. Betty was so focused on the greenery on one side of the car, and the turquoise water on the other side. Though, the drive lasted about twenty-five minutes. 

A flash of Jughead's badge had the woman at the front desk directing them to the back. Jughead had called the place the day before and spoken to the pathologist. A Doctor _Greene_. 

"Amber had different injuries compared to Jessica," Greene said, as he walked across the cold, dimly lit room to the wall of little locked metal doors, Betty and Jughead following behind. "I believe they were handled by _two_ different people." Betty watched as Jughead's mouth tightened, but he said nothing. It wasn't in disgust or any kind of sympathetic emotion. It was with doubt. Of course, Betty thought, with the mental roll of her eyes. 

The doctor unlocked one of the small square doors and rolled out a table, holding a cadaver covered with a white sheet. He did the same thing with the door next door. The smell of rubbing alcohol mixed with rot hit Betty with a wave. She forced herself not to react. He then turned to them and held out two pairs of gloves, to which they both took. While they put the gloves on, he took the sheet off of both bodies. Betty recognized the first one as Amber and the second as Jessica. She almost winced at the sight of the pale, dead bodies. Almost. 

"Amber died from asphyxiation. But she was beaten multiple times before that. Without a doubt," Greene said. "Jessica died from a blow to the occipital lobe. From what I gathered, I would say a titanium baseball bat was the weapon. Both victims had visible signs of penetration as well, timed right before they died." 

"Was there any DNA?" Jughead asked. 

"No. Nothing. I would say latex was used. Or the unsub spent a great deal of time cleaning up. Either way, I wasn't able to gather anything in that area," Greene explained. They had already read _most_ of this information from the files, but what the files didn't contain was if any DNA was found. That was a dead end, it turned out. Jughead nodded. 

"Thank you," he said. The doctor took that as his dismissal. 

"I'll be right in the other room if you need anything," he said. Jughead acknowledged him but didn't watch him leave. Betty turned back toward the two bodies. They were both beautiful, despite their horrific death. Betty looked at Amber. Like Jessica, her lips were blue and her skin was a shade that could only appear in death. Jughead was looking at Amber, looking concentrated, and studying her face. She watched him, looking for any signs that he saw something. With a gloved hand, he put a finger to her chin and pulled her lip down, looking in her mouth. 

"What?" she asked. 

"Nothing," he said. "That's just it. There's _nothing_." He stood straight up, and ran his hand-the one that wasn't gloved-through his hair, a look of frustration clouding his features. Betty looked down towards Amber. Bruises marred her left breast, and down her ribs. But... the bruises that caught Betty's eye were the ones on her inner thighs, snaking up- She looked back to Jughead. Amber was eighteen. Jessica was twenty. 

"I just don't understand one thing," Betty said. Jughead looked at her. 

"What?" 

"Why kill them? That's so unusual for cases like these. Beat them? Rape them? Sure. But why kill them? In past cases of sex trafficking, the organizations usually _try_ to keep them alive. For... more transactions. I wouldn't be saying this if there was only one body. But two are messy. Uncontrolled." Betty went around to the other side of Amber and looked closely at her neck. Doctor Greene failed to mention what exactly had caused Amber's airways to block off, but it was pretty obvious. Two handprints marred her throat. Betty forced herself not to swallow. 

"I don't think this was two different people," Jughead said. Betty turned back towards him, raising a brow. "This was one person." 

"How can you tell?" 

"They were killed in two different ways. But... you're right. There are two bodies. Our guy probably gets off on their suffering. He just couldn't help himself." Jughead shrugged, walking around. Betty didn't miss those words. _He._ He thought it was a man. One man. "He's not only the master of a sex trafficking organization but a sadist who sometimes likes to use the merchandise himself." Betty wanted to snap at him. To say that these girls weren't merchandise. But she knew that was unprofessional, and Jughead didn't mean any harm by it. It just unnerved her how... _good_ at this part of the job he was sometimes. A control she didn't have. 

This thought led to Jellybean. Was Jughead thinking about his twenty-year-old sister when he looked at these girls? Betty didn't think asking that type of question was such a good idea. She pushed that thought out of her mind. He looked up at her, and Betty forgot how observant he was. She knew he could see the wheels turning in her head. 

"What?" he asked. She shook her head. 

"You're probably right," she murmured. He continued to stare at her. His expression was unreadable. _Damn him._

"Let's go," he muttered, walking past her. They did have to go question Amber's friends, and then Jessica's. She heard the door open and shut, but lingered. She looked at the bruises on Amber's neck, and then her bruised breast. She looked at Jessica's natural platinum blonde hair, and then the crushed piece of skull on the back of her head, meeting the metal table. She glanced at Amber's darker blonde hair before turning around and walking away. 

Forty-five minutes later, they were standing in a considerably large hotel room, in front of five young college students. Rich college students, if their hotel room was any indication. It took them half an hour to get to the hotel from the mortuary, and then another fifteen minutes for her and Jughead to find their actual room. The hotel was larger and a little more complicated than the one they were staying in. These kids must have been so broken up, they thought they deserved even more luxury, Betty thought with a mental roll of her eyes. 

But now, Betty was standing there, running through the questions in her mind, while Jughead no doubt freaked them out, inspecting every inch of the hotel room. She cleared her throat, taking note of one of the girls-the only girl with red-rimmed eyes and a pink nose. It looked like she hadn't _stopped_ crying for the last few days. Betty can imagine. She couldn't say the same for the other four kids, but at least the boy who had his arm draped around her looked sympathetic. She figured they would be the most cooperative if anything. 

"As you, all know... I'm detective Cooper and this is my partner, detective Jones But you can call me Betty. And Jughead-" Betty said, glancing towards Jughead, who was studying the windows. She had to _force_ herself not to tell him how creepy he was being. 

"Jughead?" one of the boys asked incredulously. Of course, Jughead's official name was Detective Forsythe Jones, but he preferred Jughead over Forsythe, though the reaction to _both_ names was always the same. Jughead looked up and shot the boy a look, to which he shut his mouth. Betty would have snorted. But instead, she folded her hands in front of her naval. She would remain professional, as she always did during questioning. 

There were two girls and three boys in all. Red eyes and the boy who Betty had to assume was her boyfriend, a red-haired girl who had her legs propped on the lap of the mouthy boy, and then a younger-looking boy who sat suspiciously far from the group. The redhead looked a little _too_ bored. It wasn't anything Betty hadn't exactly suspected. They seemed like a problematic group, is all. That didn't mean it wasn't weird only two of them seemed upset over their friend's death. Jughead most likely realized this too but showed no signs of it. 

"You were all close with Amber?" Betty began. They all said nothing for a few seconds as if holding their breaths. Red eyes answered first. 

"Yes," she said, her voice hoarse. Betty noted her boyfriend tightening his grip around her in what seemed to be a comforting way. Jughead joined Betty at her side but said nothing. Betty was half grateful. When it came to this part of their job, Betty was always better. "I'm her roommate," she added, nodding as if to reassure _herself_ that. 

"Was," the redhead said. Red eyes looked at her with an incredulous look and seemed on the brink of more tears. Her boyfriend _glared_ at the redhead, but she only smiled. Betty raised her brows but cleared her throat. Red eyes looked back at her. 

"I understand you guys are all sophomores, right?" she asked. They all nodded. "Were you her roommate last year as well?" Betty asked red eyes. In all honesty, they introduced themselves in the beginning, but Betty forgot their names. Wait. Red eyes was Claire. Yeah. Claire. 

Claire nodded, swallowing audibly. She looked so fragile. Betty felt bad for her. "Yeah. We got lucky," she croaked. Another reassuring squeeze from the boyfriend. Betty nodded. 

"And the rest of you? Just friends?" 

"Some of us met in class. Others at parties," The mouthy boy answered. Betty looked to Jughead, who was frowning slightly. She looked back at the group. 

"Okay," she breathed. "So why don't you tell me about the last time you guys saw Amber?" Silence. Claire spoke up. 

"I saw her in the morning. This was the day she disappeared. She told me she was going with Brian to get something to eat. The rest of us were..." She glanced at the redhead, who was giving her a daring look. 

"Had you been drinking?" Betty plowed forward. They were all most likely underage, considering Amber's age, and the fact they were all sophomores. Maybe Claire's boyfriend was twenty-one. He looked older than the rest. But it didn't matter. 

"We don't have to answer that," redhead snapped. Betty raised a brow. 

"We aren't here to bust you. We just want to ask a few questions about Amber and then go. Every detail will help with the investigation," Betty said. Jughead remained silent beside her. That seemed to be enough for Claire. 

"We were all hungover," Claire said. Redhead shot her a glare. "But Brian doesn't drink," she said, glancing at the boy separating himself from them. He glanced at her, and then away. He was wearing a black hoodie, the hood over his dark hair. His attitude could have been mistaken as guilt, but... the more Betty studied him... She miscalculated the number of kids here that were visibly showing grief. Brian looked both guilty and utterly destroyed. It was hard to tell at first with the hoodie. 

"Amber had drunk a little, but not enough to get hungover. So we all slept in. I don't... I don't know what happened after that," Claire admitted. Betty looked at Brian. 

"Brian?" she asked, in the softest tone she could manage. He looked up. 

"I left her," he muttered. 

"What?" Jughead asked, surprising Betty. Betty looked at him, and then back to Brian. 

"What do you mean?" Betty asked, keeping her tone soft. 

"She met a guy. He was a lot older. He kept spewing all this bullshit about being a photographer and traveling. It was bullshit. So I left," he said, his voice laced with guilt. Betty blinked. 

"Brian, this is very important information," Betty said. Jughead had tensed beside her. 

"I told the Oahu police the same thing. They drew a sketch," he said, his voice gravelly. Wow. That would have been great information to know yesterday. Betty could already see Jughead asking Charles for _every_ single thing the Oahu police had gathered in that calm, steely voice that meant he was angry and had no patience. 

"How old would you say he was, Brian?" Betty asked. He was silent for a moment. 

"Thirty," he finally said. Betty raised her brows. 

"Thirty? Is Amber usually into... older guys?" 

"No," Claire cut in. "But she was an art major. She wanted to be a professional photographer. I'm not surprised she took an interest in an _actual_ professional photographer." Except for this guy most likely wasn't one, Betty thought. "I don't think she planned on doing anything with the guy. That's not her style. But if he offered to give her a lesson? Definitely," Claire added. Betty looked at Brian. He was staring at the floor. 

"Were you jealous, Brian?" Betty asked. Keller had told her Amber didn't have a boyfriend. Which was true. But... 

"Yeah," he muttered. Betty nodded, and then looked to Jughead. 

"Let's go," she whispered, before heading towards the door. 

"By the way," Jughead said to the kids behind her. "Recreational cannabis is illegal in the state of Hawaii," he said, before following Betty. She rolled her eyes. Of course, he smelled it. 

In the parking lot, Betty glared at him, and he grinned. " _That_ wasn't funny. Now they definitely won't give us any more information if they remember." 

"They will if they care about their friend. Which, they clearly _don't_." Jughead put his hands in his pockets as they walked to the car, frowning at the ground. "They deserved that." As far as Betty was concerned, only two of them deserved it. But she didn't say that. 

"Detective Cooper?" 

They both turned around to see Claire walking towards them, her puffy eyes more visible in the broad daylight. She walked toward them, and only stopped when she was right in front of Betty. "Betty," Betty said. "What's up?" She shot a nervous glance at Jughead's way, and then glanced back at Betty, her eyes darting. Betty turned toward Jughead. "I'll meet you in the car," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her, before shaking his head, and then walking away. Betty wondered how _anyone_ could be afraid of Jughead... but that was probably because she was too used to him. She shook her head, clearing her throat. "Yes, Claire?"

"I wanted to tell you something. Without _them_ listening," Claire said. Betty's attention peeked now. She raised her eyebrows, urging Claire to continue. She glanced behind her and then back to Betty. "I didn't lie. The last time I saw Amber was that morning. But... I left the room for a while. Amber must have come back while I was gone because I found this on the floor." She held her open palm out, and Betty looked down. It was a ring. A ring with a lion symbol on it. Betty's stomach dropped. "It's not Amber's." 

"Why didn't you give this to the police?" Betty asked, her tone growing cold. 

"Because I wasn't thinking about it then. They wouldn't tell us _anything_ and... I completely forgot about it. But then the press released photos and... the lion. It was _carved_ into Amber's skin-" 

"I can't discuss that with you," Betty said sharply, causing Claire to flinch. Guilt trickled into her, but it was mixed with anger. "I'll take that," Betty said, holding her hand out. Her anger was extremely mild compared to what she knew Jughead would feel when she told him. This, mixed with the withheld information from the police... oh Betty had to get Jughead as far away from Kevin as possible or else... well, Kevin might just end up with a broken nose. 

Claire nodded slowly, swallowing loudly. She dropped the ring into Betty's palm. Betty closed her fingers around it before turning on her heel without another word and walking towards the car. She could feel Claire's eyes on her back, but she had nothing else to say to the girl. Not without making her feel worse than she already felt. When she got in the car, Jughead looked at her with expectant eyes. Waiting for her to tell him exactly what had occurred. 

"You're going to go interview Jessica's friends alone," Betty said. Jughead frowned. 

"What-" 

"I need to talk to Keller, and I don't trust you not to royally fuck this up. _You_ will go interview Jessica's friends while I deal with Keller," Betty said. Jughead's nostrils flared slightly. 

"No." 

"Excuse me?" 

"You're my partner." 

"As far as _you_ are concerned I am just bait, waiting for a man in his mid-thirties to approach me and ask if I need _art_ lessons," Betty snapped. Jughead glared at her. "Just admit it. This was the plan all along and you _knew_ it. That's the only reason Penny trusted me enough to be here. Or else it would have been you. Just you." 

"What is your problem?" Jughead asked incredulously. "I would never let anything like that happen to you, Betty. I had no idea." Betty turned her head and looked out her window, resting the tip of her thumbnail between her teeth. He was being genuine. Of course, he was. She knew he wouldn't do anything like that. He had _no_ idea what he was doing to her half the time. She was just... so angry. At everything about the case. 

"I know," she said. 

"Look at me," he said firmly. She turned her head. He was staring at her beneath lowered brows. He slowly reached over with one hand and cupped the right side of her face. She stared at him, taking a sharp breath that went nowhere. He swiped his thumb over her cheek slowly, his features softening. "What's wrong?" he whispered. Betty opened her mouth to answer him but found her voice gone. She couldn't speak. Where his skin touched hers, tingles remained. 

He slowly moved his thumb over her bottom lip, and moved her lips apart even farther, before he let go, and then rested his thumb back on her bottom lip. A tightness had resided in her lower abdomen, and utter confusion filled her thoughts. Confusion on why a warmth was beginning to spread deep inside her, with his thumb on her bottom lip and his eyes trained on her mouth. Her skin began to feel hot. So hot, she wanted to claw at it. But she couldn't move. All she could do was watch him, holding her breath. His eyes met hers, and she _hoped_ to god he didn't notice the way she squeezed her thighs tighter together just the slightest bit. But he did. His eyes drifted down, and right as he opened his mouth, a ringing sound filled the car. 

Jughead's hand was back on his side of the car within seconds, and Betty blinked. She looked down and pulled her phone out of her pocket. It was Keller. But all she could think about was Jughead's eyes on her in her peripheral vision. And... the feeling between her legs. 

_What the fuck?_

A hysterical giggle bubbled up in her that she managed to _not_ let out. Jughead was her best friend. Wasn't he? She slammed the door shut on any thoughts like that and quickly answered the phone, turning away from Jughead. 

"What?" she snapped, wincing at the intensity of her own tone. She was _panicking_ on the inside. 

"I need you two back here now." 

"Why?" 

"I have news. Hurry," he said, before hanging up. He didn't even give her a chance to respond. Betty looked up, almost afraid to look Jughead directly in the eye. When she did, he was... normal. He looked like the last two minutes _didn't_ just happen. 

"What did he say?" he asked. Betty blinked at him. His expression didn't change. Unreadable, as always. 

"Uh... he needs to tell us something. In-person." 

"Good. Interviewing Jessica's friends can wait, and we can do it together," Jughead said, turning the engine on. Betty closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She was an adult for god's sake. Her skin began to feel cooler when she opened her eyes. Jughead hadn't even noticed. Or if he did, he didn't show it. Probably the latter. Did _he_ even realize what just happened, or was it just her making it weird? Maybe it wasn't weird. She felt like jumping out the window. 

She subtly rolled down the window, and felt the breeze on her skin, closing her eyes. Everything was _fine._


	5. Joshua Beckett

The whole car ride had been awkward. And tense. It wasn't even Jughead's fault. All he did was keep one hand on the wheel and his eyes on the road, while Betty sat there, straight as a board and thinking of something to say to him. _Am I the only one who found it the tiniest bit weird that you_ \- She couldn't even finish that thought. How could she? Was it weird? Probably not. But all she could think about was his thumb on her bottom lip. Her lip stung with the phantom feeling of his padded finger. If Kevin hadn't called her... well Betty wouldn't be surprised if he- 

Her skin heated. _If he put his thumb in your mouth?_ She was disgusting. Why would she even think that? Why, why, why. It was definitely her making it weird because Jughead seemed like the most unbothered person in the world sitting next to her. But then she remembered the way she involuntarily clenched her thighs together. And he _looked_. He actually _saw_ it happen. And he was about to say something. But fucking Kevin called her. Oh, how she wished Kevin had waited just a minute more. Not because... not because she wanted anything to happen between them. Because that was the _last_ thing she wanted. But what was he going to say? 

There was no way he was going to comment on the way she... no. That would be... _weird._ Oh she was beginning to hate that word. She glanced at Jughead. Did he even notice how stiff she was? If he did... he was _very_ good at not showing it. Oh, she wanted to strangle him. Too many different emotions were overflowing her thoughts. And then it hit her. She was _overreacting._ Over Jughead Jones. Her shoulders relaxed. She was trying to distract herself from the case. The thought hit too hard. She slumped back in her seat. Everything was _fine._ And she had to stop stressing over something she was supposed to be a professional about. All thoughts of Jughead dissipated. 

When they got to the hotel, Jughead went to unbuckle his seatbelt after shutting the engine off, but Betty cleared her throat. He looked at her. "I'm doing the talking." 

"Like hell you are," he said, his voice fusing with rage. There it was. The reason he had been so silent and calm on the way to the hotel. The calm before a storm. Betty smiled and his eyes flashed. "Betty, I swear to-" 

"What?" she taunted. His nostrils flared. "Jughead... Keller is superior to you. And Penny. If you piss him off, mommy can't come to save the day." His eyes widened and it looked like he was about to yell at her, but he stopped himself and closed his eyes. Betty smiled wider, enjoying this. Jughead _never_ yelled at her. And if he ever came close, this was the reaction. She choked on a laugh and he opened his eyes. "Let me deal with it." She nodded reassuringly. His jaw clenched even more. "Please?" she asked, puffing her bottom lip out and looking up at him beneath lowered lashes. Something flashed in his eyes, gone too quickly for Betty to decipher what it was. 

He said nothing as he opened his door a little too violently, muttering something under his breath she couldn't hear as he got out and slammed the door shut. Betty smiled triumphantly. She won. She followed him through the front doors and into the lobby, her smile fading, and her heart rate increasing at who she saw, at the front desk. 

"Hide your badge," Betty snapped suddenly. Because it was Chuck Clayton at the front desk, and any second he would turn around and see her. With a cop. Not a good look. No, she had an advantage with Chuck. And she wasn't about to blow it. Jughead raised an eyebrow at her. 

"What? I'm not going to-" 

"Hide your badge now," she hissed. He laughed incredulously. 

"Betty, I'm not going to-" 

Before he could even finish, she snatched his badge, hauling it over his head and turning away. He reacted immediately, and perhaps impulsively, reaching for it back. But she had already turned away. That didn't stop him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, trying to wrench it from her grip, bending her over in the process and pressing his body to her back. 

"What are you doing?" he asked incredulously. 

"Just-Jughead stop! Let me go, you ass-" 

"Victoria?" a familiar voice asked from right next to them. Betty froze. So did Jughead. She turned her head. Chuck was standing right there, staring at them with furrowed brows. And Betty realized what position they were in. She was bent, and Jughead was curved around her, and right on her rear she could- 

She glared at Jughead, but he was staring at Chuck. While he was distracted, she shoved his badge in her pants and then slapped his hands. As if realizing, he let her go and stood up straight. Betty did the same. 

"What the hell J...oshua?" Betty asked. Jughead snapped his head to her. 

"Joshua?" he asked incredulously. Betty peered at Chuck, who was looking at Jughead as if he was a pest. Jughead looked between Chuck and Betty before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Just Josh," he said pointedly to Chuck, looking like he would rather be dead, and shoving his hands into his pockets. Betty smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Chuck, this is Josh. He's my disgusting brother's disgusting best friend. And what you just saw was him trying to-" 

"I don't even want to _hear_ you finish that sentence," Jughead snapped. She looked at him, one side of her lips curving up. Oh, he was going to _kill_ her later. Chuck chuckled, and Betty turned to him. 

"Wow," he said, as if unsure of what else to say. 

"Anyway, you're dismissed, Josh. Go crawl into a hole," Betty said, doing her best to look as uninterested in Jughead as possible. Chuck _had_ to know that she was not interested in Jughead. Instead, she smiled up at Chuck beneath lowered lashes. Jughead probably didn't understand, because she could practically sense him looking at her incredulously. 

He scoffed. And then he scoffed again, and she heard his footsteps as he walked away. Betty had a sinking feeling in her chest, but she didn't _dare_ look at him. She folded her hands behind her back and puffed her chest out slightly, not missing the way Chuck's eyes glanced down slightly, before meeting her gaze once more. 

"That was..." 

"Weird? Yes, Josh is quite the little weirdo," she said, forcing a laugh out of herself. She had no doubt Jughead was hiding around the corner, listening to every word in that way, with his arms crossed over his chest and his face unreadable but firm nonetheless. 

Chuck laughed lightly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, you're here with a group. I had originally thought..." 

"I'm not alone," Betty said, smiling shyly and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. If she saw herself she would barf. "I would never travel alone. No, I'm here with my brother and some friends. He's a senior, so... yeah." 

"How many of there are you?" Chuck asked. 

Betty hesitated. What was the right answer here? The honest one? Eight. Nine-if you counted Kevin. But... officially only she, Archie, and Reggie were undercover. And Jughead-well-unofficially. She just fucked that pooch. She realized she was taking too long to answer. "Um- not too many," she said with a light laugh. 

"Oh. Well, I was just asking because my friends and I are going to Kauai next week. I thought... you could come. Your friends are welcome to come too, of course. We would take a ferry. No more than two hours," Chuck said. Betty raised her eyebrows. 

"Uh... I might just take you up on that," she said, contemplating it. "But... I would have to check with everyone." Chuck nodded. 

"I get it. Just... come find me when you know. I have to go, I'll see you later Victoria." He smiled, squeezing her shoulder, before walking away. She found herself smiling at his back, a giddy feeling taking over her stomach despite herself. 

"What the hell was that?" Jughead demanded from behind her. Betty whirled around to see him towering over her. She frowned. 

"Calm down, _Josh_. I was doing my job and you almost blew it." 

Jughead looked over her shoulder and then back down at her, something showing on his face she had never quite seen on him before. "He's a little... college, don't you think?" he asked, his voice full of venom. Betty's eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"What are you, jealous?" 

"More like disgusted," he spat. Betty scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Kevin asked me to do this Jughead!" 

"Give me my badge," he said, instead. Betty glared at him before her face softened and she smiled. 

"Alright. Your wish is my command." She saw him noticeably swallow, his jaw clenching when she reached into her pants-and underwear. His eyes widened slightly, and he looked around before looking down in surprise. She pulled out his badge and grabbed his hand, slapping it into his palm. He stared down at his hand, his lips slightly parted. "You're welcome, Jones," Betty said, before brushing past him. 

When Betty walked into the suite that Kevin was occupying, she noticed that everyone was already there. Toni was by the desks, three monitors and a laptop set up, grossly concentrated on whatever the fuck she was doing. Archie and Reggie were talking to Kevin, while Veronica sat next to Toni. When Kevin turned, he spotted Betty. Jughead walked in a few seconds later, looking... surprised. Betty crossed her arms and shot him a sly look he pointedly ignored, his eyebrows still raised and his gaze concentrated on Kevin. Betty rolled her eyes, while Kevin approached them, practically tossing a folder at Betty. 

Betty looked down at her hands, surprised Kevin handed the folder to _her_. She cleared her throat, opening it while Jughead moved behind her, looking over her shoulder to see. 

"Emma Edwards," Kevin announced. Jughead scanned the folder and then stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets. Betty kept reading, however. Her eyes widened. It was a new girl-a new body found. There was evidence this was the same guy they were looking for. 

"This is in Koloa. That's in Kauai," Betty said, stating the obvious. Kevin raised an eyebrow. 

"That is correct." 

Betty looked at him, and then Jughead. "I just got invited to go to Kauai." 

"What?" Jughead asked incredulously, at the same time Kevin said, "Excuse me?" 

Kevin shot Jughead a look, and he closed his mouth, looking rather irritated. Betty cleared her throat. "Um, I met a guy. Chuck Clayton. He's a college student and just a few moments ago he asked me to go to Kauai with him and his friends. He asked _Victoria_ to bring her brother... and whoever else," Betty said, looking around the room. She had everyone's attention now. 

"Well you obviously aren't going," Jughead said with a light laugh, just as Kevin said, "When does he expect you to go?" 

Jughead's head snapped up and he stared at Kevin, intensely. Kevin stared back at him, just intensely. The room went quiet and Betty bit her lip as she looked between them, giving each other challenging looks. Jughead's look was more severe, and despite Kevin outranking him, he chose to ignore him and turn to look at Betty. 

"Answer me," he ordered. 

Betty gave Jughead a lingering stare, who was still staring at Kevin as if he would commit murder. "Next week." 

"Perfect!" Kevin clapped his hands together. Betty didn't fail to notice the way Jughead curled his hand into a fist, moving so it was behind his leg instead. 

"If you think Betty is going to go to another island with a group of frat kids-" 

"What, Mr. Jones?" Keller interrupted. Betty was utterly shocked by the sudden... ferocity Jughead was showing. She scoffed and crossed her arms in disbelief. Kevin took a step forward. Jughead was taller than Kevin, but the look Keller was giving Jughead could have killed. "Clean up your act. Peabody has filled my head time and time again with your quick skills and wit, but so far all I am seeing is a man getting in the way of _my_ case. Betty has done far more than you have in the short time of being here." Kevin cleared his throat. "In fact... I didn't even ask for you, Jones. I asked for Detective _Elizabeth Cooper_. You don't look like Elizabeth Cooper. You are _here_ because Peabody kissed my ass. Tread lightly." 

Betty couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Did she hear him correctly? He asked for _her_? Not... not Jughead. Kevin looked at Betty and smiled, winking at her, before he turned around and walked over to where Toni was situated. It was obvious she was listening to every word but she quickly turned to her monitors when she had Keller's attention. Betty felt a warmth spread through her. 

She caught Jughead staring at her, and she quickly wiped the smile off her face. Jughead didn't look upset or disconcerted with what Keller had said. He looked... worried. And the tiniest bit scared. Betty frowned, and Jughead rubbed his jaw, walking over to where Kevin stood hunched over next to Toni. Dread filled Betty. What was he _doing_? 

"Agent Keller?" Jughead asked calmly. Kevin straightened and turned to face Jughead. "Can I have a word in private?" Kevin looked exasperated, but after a moment he nodded. Jughead immediately turned and walked right past Betty, out into the hall. Keller followed and shut the door behind him. Betty immediately pressed her ear to the door, and a moment later Toni was in front of her, doing the exact same. Betty rolled her eyes but listened. 

"I have concerns," Jughead stated. 

"Jones," Keller said as if trying to keep his anger in. "If you continue to question my decisions..."

"About her safety," Jughead continued, interrupting. Silence followed. Betty frowned, and Toni looked baffled. 

_He had concerns about her safety?_ Anger was brimming inside of her. She was perfectly capable of keeping herself _safe_. 

"You're sending her exactly to the location where a man is _killing_ young girls with her description. And you plan to send her _alone_ , or perhaps with Asshat One and Asshat Two. I understand there is no way you aren't going to do this, so I have no choice but to go with her," Jughead said simply. Betty's eyes widened. She couldn't believe he was talking to Keller like this. As if _he_ was the one in charge. More silence followed. 

"What is this about, Jones?" Keller asked. 

"She is my _partner_. You may tolerate me being on this case, but this is a two way street. I _agreed_ to work on this case with my _partner_."

"I need you _here_." 

"Where she goes, I go," Jughead protested. 

For a second, Betty was sure Kevin walked away because it was completely silent for at least two minutes. They must have been doing that weird staring thing because then Kevin went "Jesus _fuck_ , fine!" He let out a frustrated sigh, and there was a slapping sound as if he dropped his hands in surrender. "Do what you want. I'm not the boss, no I'm just the guy in the suit," Kevin said, his voice getting louder. 

Betty and Toni scrambled, Toni, sprinting to the other side of the room to where her monitors were and Betty right behind her. The door was opening just as Toni collapsed in her chair and leaned forward, burying her face in her laptop. Betty sat on the edge of the table, trying to look like she was having a conversation with Veronica. Veronica almost fell off from her place already on the table. Archie and Reggie exchanged looks while Kevin walked in. Jughead didn't walk in behind him. Toni and Betty looked up, looking innocent. 

"Uh... where's Jones? Is he going home?" Toni asked, sounding hopeful, even though she knew that wasn't the case. Kevin let out a long sigh. 

"No. I don't know where he is, he probably returned to his room to do some work. Betty, Jughead will be tagging along with you and _these_ two," Kevin said, motioning to Reggie and Archie. "To Kauai. He needs an ID, so..." 

Betty hated this, and she _would_ be giving Jughead hell for it later. It wasn't that he was _coming_ because under other circumstances she would be delighted he was coming with her. He was her best friend and she hadn't planned on parting ways with him. It was the way he did it, and the things he said. Did he think her a defenseless kitten that couldn't do the job good enough without him around? It hurt and sparked rage in her. Yeah, she was going to rain hell down on him that night. But for now....

"Make sure his first name is Joshua," Betty remarked. Kevin raised an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Just do it." 

She then exchanged glances with Veronica and Toni, before staring straight ahead, setting her jaw. 

"Well, that was a shit show," Toni said, half an hour later when the three of them were leaving Kevin's suite. 

"I'm going to _gut_ him," Betty snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I can't believe he talked to Keller like that," Veronica said. Toni nodded in agreement.

"I'm surprised Kevin didn't ruin his career right on the spot," Toni said, the two girls trailing behind Betty as she stalked down the hall. They reached the lobby, and that's when Betty saw the sun setting outside. She froze momentarily because sunsets in New York didn't look like _that_. She shook her head, turning back towards Toni and Veronica. "Drink?" Toni asked, wincing as if she expected Betty to hit her for speaking to her. Betty rolled her eyes. 

"Later. I'll come back. I have to go... commit yet another homicide," Betty said, heading towards the elevator. Toni laughed behind her. 

"Hey, good one!" She called. Betty heard Veronica mutter something about it not being funny to Toni, who laughed harder. 

When Betty got to the fifth floor, she banged on the door, rather than knocking. She waited patiently for a minute before banging again. She was convinced he wasn't there and was about to go hunt him down when the door opened and Betty was met with Jughead. She crossed her arms, glaring up at him. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking regretful. As he should. 

"You're going to wake up the whole hotel if you keep banging on the-" 

" _Shut up_ ," Betty snapped, walking past him and into the room. The room was painted in orange and golden colors, the sunset from outside filling the room with its vibrance through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

"Okay," he said, exasperated. She heard the door close behind her and then she turned towards him, fidgeting slightly. She watched his eyes drop to her hands and then back up to her eyes. Of course, he noticed. He noticed _everything_ , damn him. 

"I cannot _believe_ you," she finally said. 

"You know it's rude to eavesdrop," he said smoothly. 

"Is my anger funny?" she asked incredulously. 

The amused look he had on his face fell and he slowly shook his head. "No, I'm sorry." 

"Why couldn't you let me have this _one_ thing, Jughead?" Betty asked, her voice cracking, betraying her. She felt her anger dissipating and she grappled on it, trying to conjure it back up. Jughead's features softened at her voice, and he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "For once it was _me_ , not _you_ , and... I've taken every class you have and did everything you did. I went through the _same_ process. You don't think I'm capable of protecting myself?" 

Jughead's eyes widened slightly. "What? What are you talking about? That's _not_ what I meant at all-" 

"Then why did you say those things? Do you have that little faith in me? Do you-do you think I'm not good enough to have a case like this? That it should be you going to Kauai instead?" She was still angry but, the only thing she was able to show was how hurt she felt. And she felt weak. She would rather yell at him and even punch him in the face. This was pathetic. 

But Jughead swallowed, his throat working. He looked... defeated. "No. Everything you just said is incorrect. I don't... I don't care about any of that stuff, Betty." 

"Then, _what? What_ -" 

"I was scared, okay?" he snapped. She stared at him, chewing on her lip. "I don't... doubt your skills or your ability to keep yourself safe. I just... _I_ got scared. And I meant a little of what I said to Keller. You are my partner. Where you go, I go." 

Betty stared at him, looking out the window instead. "Fine. I'll see you in the morning for the last two interviews." She walked past him, having enough time to see him frown and whirl around.

"Betty-" Jughead said just as she slammed the door shut behind her and walked down the hall to the elevator. She took a deep breath, ignoring her fast-beating heart in her chest. 

She walked out the glass doors, over to the bar where Toni and Veronica were. When she got over, Toni was leaning close to her laptop and Veronica was looking over her shoulder. "What are we looking at?" Betty asked. They both looked over at her before going back to the laptop. 

"Come here," Toni muttered. Betty walked to her other side to look. "I was going through Amber's camera roll. Mostly videos of her and her friends drinking _illegally_." Betty nodded, expecting nothing else. "But I found this picture," she continued, pulling up a picture of a different Amber than the one Betty saw earlier, and Brian. This Amber was smiling wide, showing off a set of straight white teeth. Her skin was a tan caramel instead of pale white, and the bruises her corpse now had were missing. Next to her, Brian looked a little different too. He looked happy, not miserable like he was earlier. 

Betty made a disappointed tsking sound. Toni raised her eyebrow at her. "What?" 

"I saw him today," Betty murmured. "He looks cute in this picture." Her voice was full of melancholy. Toni nodded. 

"Yeah, well, it's not _him_ I'm looking at." Toni zoomed into a face behind them. "It's him." Betty leaned closer. Leaning against the same bar they were sitting at, was a man. He looked smug, and he was looking straight at Amber. Betty turned, looking over at a table across the way. It was the same table they had to be sitting at. She looked back at the screen. "Recognize him?" Toni asked. Betty shook her head. 

"No." 

"How old would you say he is?" 

"Thirty," Betty murmured. Veronica looked between them. "Brian said he left because she started talking to a man around the age of thirty." 

"Surely that can't be the same guy in this picture," Veronica said. Both Betty and Toni shot her a look. She bit her lip. 

"Jughead interviewed the owner of the hotel. He said only two specific groups of people have checked into this hotel during spring break. College kids, or very old couples. He falls into neither group. It won't be hard for me to find a name," Betty pointed out to Toni. Toni nodded. 

"Can you enhance that and send it to my laptop?" Betty asked. 

"Yeah. Just text me your email," Toni said simply. Veronica was frowning, deep in thought. 

"Got it. I have to go tell Jughead about this. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Betty muttered, before getting off her stool and walking away. 

She was planning on going straight back to Jughead's hotel room but spotted Chuck, walking through the glass doors into the lobby. Betty walked faster, almost jogging to catch up to him and grab his arm. 

When Chuck turned to her, his eyes were clouded and he looked confused for a second. Betty immediately knew he had been drinking but she put an easy smile on her face nonetheless. He smiled when he realized who he was seeing, which took a minute. 

"Oh, hi." 

"Hi," Betty said, looking up at him through her lashes. "I just wanted to tell you that... my brother said yes." 

Chuck stared at her, and she waited. Waiting, waiting, and his grin grew wide. "Oh! Great. I'll let everyone know." He paused. "I was about to go up to my room. Wanna come?" 

Betty rolled her eyes internally but forced herself to blush. "Not tonight, Chuck. Maybe tomorrow!" Then she folded her hands behind her back and skipped past him. She could hear him chuckling slightly behind her, and once she rounded the corner, she dropped her arms and rolled her eyes, smashing the button for the elevator. 

A couple of moments later, she found herself knocking hard on Jughead's door. He opened it a minute later as if he had been expecting it. She hated him for it. His hair looked dissolved as if he had been trying to sleep. And not succeeding. Betty crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him below furrowed brows. 

They stared at each other for a moment before Jughead snorted, looking down, and snickering. His hair fell in front of his face and when he peeked up at her, she was glaring. Until a smile, she couldn't contain started creeping onto her face. 

"Move, asshole," she muttered, shoving past him. He shut the door, blocking out the light, and followed her, walking past her and going around the bed before he crawled in, folding his hands behind his head and looking up at her on his back. "Turn around." He frowned. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He laughed audibly, and then turned over, burying his face in his pillow. 

Betty smiled, turning around and sliding her pants off before she crawled under the covers, turning on her side away from him and breathing in the silence. In the distance, they could hear waves crashing just outside, far below. It was the most soothing sound she had ever heard. She heard Jughead shift and felt his eyes on the skin of her neck behind her. The sheets were silk and felt like clouds against her skin. She turned around until she was on her other side, and looked at him. He was already looking at her. Betty sighed and got closer to him, putting her head on his chest while he shifted to his back, and his arm came around her. 

"Are you still mad at me?" he whispered into her hair. She shook her head. He began stroking her hair, down her back, and she closed her eyes. 

"I found a lead," she said quietly. Jughead's stroking didn't falter. 

_I found a lead, and you have nothing_ , was what she had planned on saying right in his face. But she didn't. She didn't have the energy. 

"Can I tell you tomorrow?" she asked, raising her head and looking up at him. He stopped stroking her hair. 

He let out a sigh and nodded. She put her head back down on his chest. He continued his stroking. She felt her chest loosen, and her eyelids fluttered closed. Eventually, she had vaguely realized Jughead had stopped stroking her hair, his chest rising and falling evenly. She pried her eyelids open and looked up at him. His eyes were closed, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. It felt like the skin where his hand was, just above her underwear, would catch on fire. 

Quietly, so quietly, she slipped from his arms, put her pants on, and left. 

"You could have told me you were leaving," Jughead said, the next day when they pulled up to the hotel Jessica's friends were staying at.

Betty shut her door after getting out of the car and glanced at Jughead who was doing the same. She couldn't see his expression very well because he was wearing sunglasses.

"Sorry, uh, I had to talk to Archie about something." 

Jughead looked at her and didn't look away for a minute. She still couldn't see that damn expression. Even without the sunglasses, she doubted she would be able to read him. Betty often thought that if Jughead was one of the guys they got paid to catch, he wouldn't be very easy to catch. But Jughead wasn't a psychopath. Maybe a sociopath. Sometimes the latter was worse. 

"Oh. Okay," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

They didn't talk about it anymore. Betty didn't see Archie the night before. She just... couldn't stay in Jughead's bed all night again. When Betty called Adeen, one of Jessica's friends, she had told Betty to walk down to a certain part of the beach behind the hotel. Betty had been reluctant but agreed. Jughead had no comment. By the time they spotted the group, two of the girls seemed to be in the middle of an argument. 

"I want to go home, and if I want to get lawyers involved because some asshole from the government told me I'm not allowed, then I can very well do as I please, Adeen," A girl with dark hair said. 

Jughead gave Betty a look that Betty returned. 

"You are being so disrespectful right now to Jessica and honestly I don't appreciate it," the other girl said, who Betty had to assume was Adeen. She had light brown skin that looked pretty in the sunlight. 

"Ladies," Betty said, cutting in. 

All five of them looked at Betty. Two girls, and three very irritated looking boys. 

"After this interview we can go _home_ , right? Seriously I will call my dad right now and he will tell you to suck-" 

"I don't decide that," Betty said quickly. Jughead made a sniffing sound. "But I sure hope so. Where are you guys from?" 

"California," Adeen answered. 

"Oh," Betty said. That made so much sense. "All right, then. I'm just going to ask you a few questions, and my partner here is just going to listen. I'm detective Cooper and this is detective Jones." 

"What's your star sign?" the other girl asked suddenly. Betty blinked at her. She tried so hard to remember her name. Suddenly, she remembered reading this girl's file. Sasha Donnelley, who attends UCLA with a drama major. She was wearing a tank-top that revealed a tattoo on her shoulder that had some inspirational quote Betty couldn't read clearly. 

"I'm sorry?" 

"Your star sign? I'm a Virgo." 

Betty cleared her throat. "Um... I'm a Taurus. On the night Jessica-" 

"How about you?" Sasha asked, nodding towards Jughead. Betty took a deep breath. 

"Jesus Christ, Sash," one of the boys let out a frustrated sigh, covering his face with his hands. 

Betty looked to Jughead, who was staring at Sasha blankly. He looked at Betty, and she raised her eyebrows. _Answer her so I can ask them the damn questions_. 

"Cancer," he said dully. 

Sasha leaned forward in the chair she was sitting in, crossing one leg over the other. She smiled, looking between them. "Interesting." 

Betty cleared her throat, looking at each of them. "Were any of you with Jessica the day she disappeared?" 

"Yeah, me and Sean were," Adeen said, nodding toward the boy with blonde hair. 

"What were you doing?" 

"Well, we went swimming that morning in the pool, then Jessica said she felt tired, so she went to her room to shower and then take a nap. When I got back, I knew she had showered, because the walls were wet, and her bathing suit was in the sink. But she wasn't there, so I assumed she had left to... I don't know, maybe eat or something. I never saw her again. I kind of assumed she was with some guy." 

"So you didn't report her missing because you thought she was having intimate relations with a man?" Betty asked, keeping her tone neutral and light. 

Adeen's cheeks heated. "Well, you have to understand..." She looked to her friends for help, but none of them said anything.

Sasha was smirking, her eyes trained on Jughead, who didn't even seem to notice. 

"Jessica liked to sleep around," Adeen said earnestly, shrugging her shoulders. "None of us shamed her for it, but it's true. We just assumed it was Jessica being Jessica. I mean, back at UCLA, she got an STI. It was curable, in the end, but she wasn't very smart." 

Betty did read that Jessica had an abortion at the age of nineteen, in her medical records. She wondered if her friends knew this. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Sasha beat her to it. 

"Did you know," Sasha said loudly. "That a Taurus can be very ambitious, practical, determined, and most of all... stubborn. Some say they might be the most stubborn star sign. A Cancer, on the other hand, can be loyal, protective, moody..." Sasha smiled, looking Jughead over. "Vindictive." Then her gaze traveled to Betty. "But together... ugh they're so passionate. Especially the sex. Are you two having sex?" 

Betty raised her eyebrows and heard Jughead cough behind her. "Mrs. Donnelley, that's very inappropriate and I'm going to have to ask you not to ask questions like that again, detective Jones is my _professional_ partner."

Sasha slumped back in her chair, smiling, clearly enjoying this. "Of course," she said. 

"What was your relationship like with Jessica?" Betty asked. Everyone grew silent and the smile faded from Sasha's lips. 

"I hated that bitch." 

"Sasha!" Adeen covered her mouth with her hand. "She didn't mean that-" 

"Yes I did. I didn't want her to die, of course. It's awful what happened. But she wasn't supposed to come on this trip. I _begged_ Adeen not to invite her. I guess my opinion wasn't good enough." Sasha glared at Adeen, who kept her head down. "I had a bad feeling about her coming, despite how much I hated her." 

"A bad feeling?" Betty asked. 

Sasha sighed. "I don't expect you, people, to understand. I get _feelings_. When I found out Jessica was coming with us, I threw up. My stomach hurt so bad, I felt like I was dying. I can see things happen before they do." 

Betty clenched her jaw. This wasn't the first time she had dealt with someone like this. No, she had to question many people like Sasha in her career. Betty wasn't exactly a believer. The zodiac shit was starting to make more sense now. This wasn't what she needed. 

"I'm sure that was a psychological reaction to having someone you dislike so severely come on an important trip with your friends," Betty said, her tone even. 

Sasha glared at Betty. "As I said, I don't expect you to understand." 

"May I ask why you dislike Jessica?" 

"She fucked my brother and then cheated on him," Sasha said. Betty almost flinched. Yeah, that was reason enough. "Do you think I killed her, detective Cooper? I thought she was trafficked. Which is it?" 

"I do not believe you killed Jessica, no," Betty said. "I cannot discuss the contents of her case because-" 

"Because you don't know _shit_ ," Sasha snapped. 

"I would appreciate it if you watched your tone with someone of higher authority than you," Jughead suddenly said. His tone was cold, and when Betty looked at him, his sunglasses were off. He was staring at Sasha with such intensity, she looked away, looking sullen.

"I appreciate your help. One last question. Did Jessica ever come in contact with a man-late twenties to early thirties, sandy blonde hair, about six feet tall?" Betty asked.

The group exchanged looks. "No," Sean finally said.

Betty nodded, looking over at Jughead. That morning she filled him in on what she found with Toni, and before they left the hotel, they asked the owner to find a client that fit the description. He said he would call Betty when he was done looking through the files. Betty raised an eyebrow at him now. _Any questions?_ He shook his head. Betty nodded and looked back at them. 

"Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me." She handed Adeen her card, and with that, they left. 

When they were in the parking lot, only a few feet away from the car, Betty was about to say something, but her phone rang. When she looked at the screen, it was the hotel owner. She answered it in a heartbeat. He was calling to tell her that he found only one record that matched the description, and it was waiting for her with the receptionist behind the desk. 

"Thank you so much," Betty said, before hanging up. Jughead was staring at her, waiting. She grinned at him. 

"What?" he asked impatiently. 

"I think we found him." 

"What?" he asked again, this time more in disbelief. 

"They found a record. Just one. It has to be him." Betty jumped up and down. "We found him." 

Jughead laughed lightly. "Shit, Cooper." 

Betty laughed, throwing her head back, and continuing to whirl around, not caring that she probably looked like an idiot. " _I_ found him! And not you!" She laughed harder. Jughead opened his mouth, staring at her in disbelief before his smile grew. 

He suddenly grabbed her by the waist, turning her towards him. She gasped and braced one hand on his shoulder. "I'll let you take full credit, if you let me put the cuffs on him," Jughead said softly, their breath mingling. Betty smiled and placed her other hand on his neck. 

"Fine. But I would have taken full credit anyway. You didn't do anything. Toni and I have done all the work." She shrugged, and he tightened his grip around her waist. 

"Hmm if that's what you want to think." His eyes drifted down her face, and Betty had the sudden urge to fidget, but she didn't dare move. She was too aware of how close they were. 

"What's your zodiac sign?" Betty suddenly asked. His gaze came back up to her eyes. 

Jughead let go of her, tilting his head back and laughing. She smiled up at him. "Shut up," he finally said, when he caught his breath again. "Let's go see who this guy is." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my beautiful readers. After that ending I want to clarify my intentions were not to offend anyone. It's just in Betty's character in this fan fiction to have a more orthodox mindset. I am an astrology person myself, and I love researching it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


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